Alibaba Group Holding Limited, commonly known as Alibaba, is a Chinese multinational technology firm that focuses on e-commerce, retail, internet services, and technology. Established on June 28, 1999, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the company offers consumer-to-consumer, business-to-consumer, and business-to-business sales services through both Chinese and global marketplaces, alongside local consumer services, digital media and entertainment, logistics, and cloud computing solutions. It manages a diverse array of companies worldwide across numerous business sectors.
On September 19, 2014, Alibaba completed its U.S. initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, raising $25 billion and achieving a market valuation of $231 billion, marking the largest IPO in history at that time. Alibaba ranks among the top 10 most valuable corporations globally and was listed as the 31st largest public company in the 2020 Forbes Global 2000 rankings. In January 2018, Alibaba became the second Asian corporation to surpass the $500 billion valuation milestone, following its rival Tencent. As of 2022, Alibaba holds the ninth position in global brand valuation.
Recognized as one of the world's largest retailers and e-commerce enterprises, Alibaba was also acknowledged in 2020 as the fifth-largest artificial intelligence company. Additionally, it stands as one of the largest venture capital firms and investment corporations globally, as well as the second-largest financial services group, trailing only Visa through its fintech subsidiary, Ant Group. The company operates the largest B2B, C2C, and B2C marketplaces worldwide and has been actively expanding into the media sector, with revenues growing at a remarkable rate year over year. Moreover, it set a record during the 2018 edition of China's Singles' Day, recognized as the world's largest shopping event, both online and offline.