Dive Brief:

• Banks involved with Alibaba’s Sept. 18 initial public offering exercised the so-called “greenshoe option,” which allows the banks to buy up to 15% more of Alibaba’s shares because demand outpaced expectations and the share price exceed the IPO price.

• The additional sales put the value of Alibaba’s IPO at $25 billion, the largest IPO in history.

• The Chinese e-commerce giant saw its shares rise in value from the IPO per-share price of $68 to $93.89 by Friday’s close. The price was ticking down slightly Monday morning.

Dive Insight:

Alibaba’s IPO managed to exceed many analysts’ decidedly high expectations, and the company is now poised to make good on its stated aim of overtaking Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as the world’s largest retailer. What that looks like and how close that comes to being true depends on a range of factors, including China’s economy and Alibaba’s business model, among others.