Melco Resorts & Entertainment, a $2.5bn casino group run by Hong Kong casino mogul Lawrence Ho, is weighing relocating its headquarters to Macau to avoid being delisted in the US, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has said that about 200 Chinese and Hong Kong companies listed in New York will be forced to delist in 2024 if they do not comply with audit disclosure laws. Macau, a special administrative region of China, is not included in the delisting threat, opening the door to a potential loophole.
“There are a few companies thinking this through right now, but the word is until the man upstairs opines, no one will make the move,” said one of the people close to the company, referring to Chinese president Xi Jinping.