Bitmain Technologies, a company that manages the world’s largest cryptocurrency mining operation, recently disclosed its plans to hold an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong. The Chinese mining giant may also reportedly consider conducting its IPO in another market that supports issuing USD-denominated shares.

At present, Bitmain has not provided an official launch date for its IPO, but inside sources state that the company “plans to file for an IPO very soon.”

Notably, the mining firm’s IPO could potentially give early-stage investors such as IDG Capital and Sequoia Capital an option to cash out their investments. This development is quite significant since inside sources have revealed that the crypto mining conglomerate is raising additional funds, after its $400 million investment round in June.Based on Bitmain’s current financial data, the latest funding round may increase the mining giant’s valuation to about $14 billion, which would equate to 10 to 11x greater earnings, according to an email shared by sources working closely with the company.

Bitmain May Earn $2-3 Billion In 2018 Profits

As Crypto Globe reported, Bitmain had recently been valued at $12 billion, however, these updated financial figures indicate a 16.6% increase in the firm’s valuation. Moreover, the email mentions that Bitmain’s operations were audited by KPMG, a leading multinational professional services company.

According to  the audit results, the crypto mining company has earned a profit of $1.1 billion during Q1 2018. The email also states that Bitmain’s total profits for the year 2018 could be at least around $2-3 billion.

Interestingly, Bitmain’s IPO plans have come at a time when the Bitminer Factory, a large crypto mining operation powered by renewable energy, revealed that its initial coin offering (ICO) has already raised $2 million, after being launched on July 21st.

Bitminer Factory’s official medium post further notes that its looking to expand its operations to Herzegovina, Bosnia. The company also stated it’s currently testing IBM’s Power9 processor, in addition to its artificial intelligence and machine learning technology.

These tests are a part of Bitmain Factory’s larger effort to develop a way to develop “a product that can optimize a server farm dedicated to cryptocurrency mining.”