Alibaba close to deciding on New York as IPO venue -FT

HONG KONG, March 13 (Reuters) - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding is "95 percent certain" to choose New York as a listing venue for its initial public offering, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources close to the deal.

The company is no longer discussing a potential listing in Hong Kong, the newspaper added, citing the sources.

Alibaba declined to give an immediate comment on its IPO plans when contacted by Reuters.

The company's Executive Vice Chairman Joe Tsai told Reuters on Wednesday Alibaba would not change its partnership shareholding structure in order to list in Hong Kong.