JD.com prices up IPO to raise $1.78b on Nasdaq debut

China's business-to-consumer e-commerce sales may surpass $180 billion this year due to rising Internet usage, expanding middle-class incomes and a better distribution network, according to New York-based market research firm eMarketer.

Shares of JD.com soar 17% in market debut

JD.com prices IPO above expectations

JD.com had an 18.3 percent share of that market as of the third quarter of 2013, according to Beijing-based iResearch. It claims some 30 million-plus active customers and saw net revenue jump 70 percent to $8 billion in 2013's first nine months.

The selling shareholders, including CEO Liu, Tiger Global Management, Hillhouse Capital Management, DST Global funds and Capital Today, would pocket $468 million.

Formerly known as 360Buy, JD.com has already raised more than $2 billion in previous years from investors.

Despite the fact that Chinese e-commerce players are expected to become increasingly competitive, especially with the money they raise in the US market, Brian Hui, vice-president of Amazon China, was happy to see more of that company's Chinese counterparts going public.

In a recent interview with China Daily, Hui said that China's e-commerce market is becoming "healthier and healthier", with almost all of its major players planning IPOs this year.

"Being a listed company means that you need to follow certain rules in terms of the financial operation and management," he said, adding that the e-commerce market in China is entering a new stage, with more companies following the same code of conduct.

Agencies contributed to this story.