
AppLovin shareholder criminal claims withdrawn

Short seller CapitalWatch has retracted allegations that a major shareholder in app marketing company AppLovin was linked to money laundering, sending AppLovin’s shares up more than 13%. CapitalWatch had claimed last month that Hao Tang, one of AppLovin’s largest shareholders, had laundered illicit funds from China and Southeast Asia using AppLovin’s technology platforms. The short seller apologised today, saying it had erroneously connected Tang to sanctioned Cambodian conglomerate Prince Group. “In light of these factual discrepancies—and to prevent the spread of misinformation and protect the legal rights of the parties involved—we have decided to remove and retract the passages relevant to Mr. Tang personally,” wrote CapitalWatch. “Regarding the report’s references to ‘money laundering’ and ‘improper transfer of interests’, it is imperative to distinguish between individual liability and corporate financial phenomena”, it said. “Our review concluded that while the macro data and transaction structures highlighted in the original report warrant market scrutiny, the information currently available is legally insufficient to attribute these complex capital operations directly and exclusively to Mr. Tang.” CapitalWa







