Kakao and MBK Partners are expected to be acquirers of eBay Korea

Ever since eBay's U.S. e-commerce operator announced last month that it would sell its eBay Korea, the ultimate ownership of eBay Korea has been a key piece of information that many Korean sellers have been paying attention to.

Recently, The Economic Times reported that Kakao Corp and MBK Partners are interested in acquiring eBay Korea, and the e-commerce company is likely to end up being sold to one of the two companies .

According to insiders in the Korean investment banking industry, eBay's financial advisers Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have been sending out pre-announcement letters to potential buyers, and the company now has a buyer candidate. eBay Korea will meet with them soon to sign a confidentiality agreement and provide them with detailed information about the company.

As a company that owns Gmarket , G9 and Auction , even though eBay Korea has lost its former glory, it is still an important force that cannot be ignored in the Korean e-commerce market!

As of now, the company's value has not been made public, but a purchase price of 5 trillion won ($4.5 billion) has been circulated in the industry , The Korea Times reported .

What benefits can Kakao and MBK Partners gain ?

As the leading candidate to acquire the Korean division of the e-commerce business , what are the benefits of acquiring eBay Korea for Kakao Corp and MBK Partners ?

Let's start with Kakao Corp. If Kakao owned eBay Korea, it could manage its e-commerce subsidiary, Kakao Commerce. As an e-commerce company, Kakao Commerce is still small.

Once eBay Korea is absorbed , it will greatly expand its product line and increase the number of items sold on the platform. And because eBay is the second largest player in the Korean e-commerce market , Kakao will immediately become an important player in the Korean e-commerce market.

For MBK Partners ( Asian private equity firm ) , if it acquires eBay Korea, it is likely to establish a connection with its own Homeplus company .

Homeplus is the leading discount store retail chain in South Korea. If MBK successfully acquires eBay Korea , Homeplus will quickly establish an online business through the three e-commerce platforms of eBay Korea and enter the e-commerce market in an era when buyers are shopping online .

Overall, no matter which investor finally acquires eBay Korea , it will be able to benefit from it . And 5 trillion won does not seem to be an unacceptable price given the stimulus of Coupang's listing in the United States!

Acquisition

eBay Korea

Online Business