Shares Could Begin Trading as Soon as Sept. 18 or 19

What will likely be the world's largest initial public offering in years appears to be just over a week away.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. plans to launch its U.S. IPO early in the week of Sept. 8, as the company aims to complete its monthslong dialogue with U.S. regulators, a person familiar with the deal said.

A launch that week, kicking off a deal that could raise more than $20 billion and be the world's largest in years, would mean Alibaba shares could begin trading as soon as Sept. 18 or 19 in New York, the person said. Alibaba's leadership initially sought to launch the deal by the end of August but moved the target to September, people familiar with the deal have said, because of investor summer vacations and the need to secure regulatory approval for the deal.

Alibaba Profit More Than Amazon and EBay Ahead of U.S. IPO

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has been described as a mixture of Amazon.com Inc. and EBay Inc. during the preparation for its U.S. initial public offering.

In the last quarter, Alibaba earned more than those companies combined. Operating income at China’s biggest e-commerce operator rose to $1.1 billion in the three months ended June, or 42 percent more than the combined profit of Amazon and EBay for the period.

After including one-time gains, Alibaba’s net income was more than double those of its competitors. Alibaba’s results, probably the last before the IPO, underscore how its Taobao and Tmall platforms are connecting consumers to businesses in the most populous nation and how the company is transitioning to mobile services.