SAN FRANCISCO - SOCIAL networking site Facebook has closed a second US$60 million (S$83 million) investment round with Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing through his foundation, a source familiar with the deal confirmed.

The source said on Thursday the deal, which boosts Mr Li's holdings in Facebook to US$120 million, including an earlier US$60 million round late last year, is valued on the same US$15 billion terms as a US$240 million stake Microsoft took in October.

Mr Li's investment was made by the Li Ka Shing Foundation.

Li-backed companies such as Hutchison Whampoa and TOM Group were not involved, the source said.

The stake boosts Mr Li's holdings to a 0.8 per cent share of Facebook while Microsoft's holds another 1.6 per cent.

A Facebook spokesman declined to comment on Mr Li's stake.

MarketWatch broke details of the story earlier out of Hong Kong, quoting Mr Li as saying: 'I may raise my investment in Facebook - anything is possible' during an earnings conference call for his company Hutchison Whampoa. But the report did not detail the scope of his investment.

Founded in 1980, the Li Ka Shing Foundation has focused on funding a variety of health, education and environmental projects in recent years.

In prior rounds dating back to 2004, Facebook has taken about US$40.7 million from venture capital investors including PayPal co-founder and former CEO Peter Thiel along with Accel Partners, Greylock Partners and Meritech Capital Partners. -- REUTERS

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