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☆ Xi's planned revival of Chinese financial watchdog exerts more party control
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Joe Cash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, March 1 (Reuters) - Plans by China's Communist Party to revive a high-level economic watchdog after two decades signal President Xi Jinping push to increase oversight of the financial sector, analysts say, part of a wider tightening of control by Xi and the party. "Through the CFWC, Xi and his allies could more rapidly roll out a reshuffle to replace the remaining legacy technocrats with people more loyal to them," he said. China's financial sector is overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee at the top. Under the new proposed structure, the party would take on a direction-setting role for the economy and regulatory bodies. "But this could also lead to policies replacing some market forces, which may not be ideal for financial liberalisation", she said.

☆ UBS Set to Apply for China Mutual-Fund License
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Jing Yang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

UBS was the first foreign bank in China to take majority ownership of its local investment-banking unit. UBS Group AG is preparing to apply for a mutual-fund license in China, according to people familiar with the matter, becoming the latest Western bank to take advantage of Beijing’s relaxed rules on foreign financial institutions. The Swiss bank has held informal communications with the China Securities Regulatory Commission about its intention to apply, and plans to submit the application as soon as possible, some of the people said.

☆ UBS set to apply for China mutual fund license - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Switzerland's biggest bank UBS Group AG (UBSG.S) is looking to apply for a mutual fund license in China, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Swiss bank is in informal talks with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) about its intention to apply, the report said. UBS plans to submit the application as soon as possible, the report said without mentioning a timeline. The company declined to comment, while CSRC did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Maria Ponnezhath; Editing by Sonia CheemaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SYDNEY/HONG KONG, Feb 20 (Reuters) - New rules laying out how Chinese companies can list outside mainland China will often mean getting a nod from several domestic government agencies, potentially making for a lengthy approval process, investment bankers say. On one hand, the rules provide clarity after a regulatory crackdown by Beijing since mid-2021 that has slowed U.S. listings by Chinese firms to a trickle. Those hoops, combined with U.S.-Sino tensions over a multitude of issues from suspected spy balloons to trade friction, means a rush of Chinese firms seeking initial public offerings in New York is unlikely. Last year, U.S. listings of Chinese firms were worth less than $230 million, according to Refinitiv data, a massive drop from $12.9 billion in 2021. "I don't think an overseas listing for the start-up would get the Chinese regulatory nod due to data security.

☆ China formalizes rules for overseas IPOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING – China-based companies now have more clarity on whether they can list overseas in the U.S. The China Securities Regulatory Commission announced late Friday new rules that require domestic companies to comply with national security measures and the personal data protection law before going public overseas. The securities regulator's rules do not ban the variable interest entity structure commonly used by Chinese companies when listing in the U.S. The CSRC said its rules for overseas listings are set to take effect March 31. The new rules also call for IPO underwriters, typically international investment banks, to annually report to the CSRC their involvement with Chinese listings overseas.

☆ China publishes rules to revive offshore listings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

China's securities watchdog published rules on Friday to regulate offshore listings, reviving foreign initial public offerings (IPOs) by Chinese firms after a regulatory freeze imposed in July 2021. Daniel Tu Active Creation CapitalUnder its new filing system, which effectively ends decades of unregulated overseas IPOs by Chinese companies, the CSRC will vet offshore listings. Friday's rules, amending a December draft, stipulate that overseas listings should not jeopardize China's national interests. Chinese offshore listings ground to a halt after Didi Global Inc's New York listing in June 2021 that triggered Beijing's regulatory backlash over data security concerns. China's tech crackdown also contributed to a near freeze in overseas listings by Chinese companies.

☆ China’s Securities Regulator Releases Long-Awaited Rules on Overseas Listings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jing Yang | Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

New rules published by the China Securities Regulatory Commission require all mainland Chinese companies planning foreign share sales to inform the regulator beforehand. China’s securities regulator has released its long-awaited rules on companies’ overseas listings, taking a concrete step to move past a long regulatory assault that upended some of the country’s biggest internet companies. The move follows repeated calls from the country’s top leadership to normalize the policy environment, part of an attempt by the government to shift focus back toward economic growth after a strict zero-Covid policy and a series of regulatory moves pushed down valuations in the technology and internet sectors and shook investor confidence.

But retail investors are haunted by the regulatory purges, volatility and losses since 2021. With 212 million retail investors, equal to Brazil's population, the conservatism of China's retail army has implications for the viability of the rally. Individual retail investor transactions accounted for about 60% of the total A-shares turnover in late 2022, China Securities Regulatory Commission Chairman Yi Huiman said in November. But data shows barely any investor accounts being opened and the margin financing that retail investors typically use has plateaued. Retail investors are waiting for clearer policy signals, said Lei Meng, China equities strategist at UBS Securities.

☆ Warburg Pincus moves closer to buying a stake in Chinese fund Zhong Ou
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italian banking group Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI) disclosed in its 2021 annual report that its board had approved the sale of a 23.3% stake in Zhong Ou to Warbug Pincus. The planned 23.3% stake sale to Warburg Pincus was confirmed on Monday by a source familiar with the transaction. The CSRC did not say how big a stake Warburg Pincus will buy in Zhong Ou, which has more than 350 billion yuan ($51.3 billion) of assets under management (AUM). In the regulatory feedback, the CSRC asked Warburg Pincus to explain how it would support Zhong Ou's development. The regulator also requested further proof from Warburg Pincus that it's a leading global player with good international reputation and performance.

The company sold 10 million American depository receipts (ADRs) at $19 apiece, according to its regulatory filings, and shares closed at $21.05. The deal is the biggest from a Chinese company selling shares in New York since LianBio (LIAN.O) raised $334 million in October 2021, according to Refinitiv data. Chinese company listings in the United States ground to a halt in 2021 after the debut of ride hailing giant Didi Global Inc (92Sy.MU) in June of that year. As a result, Chinese listings in the United States dwindled and mainland regulators also moved to draw up new guidelines governing companies selling shares overseas. Chinese companies raised nearly $230 million in U.S. listings in 2022, according to Refinitiv data, representing a massive drop from $12.85 billion a year earlier.

☆ China's latest IPO reform unlikely to flood markets with new issuance, bankers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Under the new system, China's stock exchanges will themselves vet IPOs with a focus on information disclosure. The reform was hailed by state media and analysts as a key milestone that would make China's IPO market more inclusive, transparent and efficient. "Paternalism and politics continue to play a big role" in the new IPO system, he said. STAR SYSTEMThe registration-based IPO system was first adopted by Shanghai's STAR Market when the tech-focused board was launched in 2019. The new IPO system was later rolled out to the start-up board ChiNext, and the Beijing Stock Exchange.

☆ China set to launch long-awaited IPO reforms to reset the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

A surveillance camera outside the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) building in Beijing on July 9, 2021. Tingshu Wang/ReutersUnder the new system, regulators will stop vetting planned share sales by companies. Currently, listings on the main boards of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges must be reviewed and approved by regulators before they can be launched. Financial stress has surged, even as the economy has started to recover after three years of strict pandemic controls. Following a chaotic exit from its zero-Covid policy, Beijing is trying to reset the economy and rebuild the trust of investors and businesses.

☆ China expands IPO reform to help companies raise capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - China published draft rules on Wednesday to broaden the registration-based initial public offering (IPO) system, marking a big step towards reforming the world's second-biggest stock market. Expanding the U.S.-style IPO mechanism to all corners of China's stock market will speed up listings and corporate fundraising, as Beijing seeks to revive a COVID-ravaged economy. The fresh reform will also benefit investment banks and private equity funds, though some fear a flood of listings could drain market liquidity. The registration-based IPO system, first adopted by the tech-focused STAR Market, was later rolled out to start-up board ChiNext and the Beijing Stock Exchange. The CSRC will consolidate IPO rules for Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing bourses.

☆ JPMorgan, Standard Chartered win approval to expand in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Jan 19 (Reuters) - JPMorgan (JPM.N) and Standard Chartered won Chinese regulatory approval on Thursday to expand operations in China, as Beijing encourages expansion by foreign companies after lifting its restrictive COVID policies. British bank Standard Chartered (STAN.L) won an approval to set up a new securities brokerage unit in China also on Thursday, the regulator said. Canada's Manulife Financial Corp (MFC.TO) in November received regulatory approval to take full control of its Chinese mutual fund venture. U.S. asset manager Neuberger Berman in the same month won approval to set up a new fund unit in China. "China is certainly going to be bit of a long slog," Alexander said, referring to China's lengthy approval process for foreign companies.

☆ Schroders gets nod to set up China fund unit as Beijing speeds up approvals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Schroders has obtained Chinese regulatory approval to set up a wholly-owned mutual fund unit in China, as Beijing accelerates opening up its giant financial sector to foreigners. Last month, U.S. asset manager Neuberger Berman celebrated the opening of its China retail fund business, while Fidelity International was granted a mutual fund licence in the country. Authorities have also recently allowed Canada's Manulife Financial Corp (MFC.TO) to take full control of its Chinese mutual fund venture. Setting up a wholly-owned retail fund business in China is testament to Schroder's long-term commitment to the country - a key component of the group's global strategy, the company said in a statement. China scrapped foreign ownership caps in its $3.7 trillion mutual fund industry in 2019, and BlackRock become the first foreign asset manager to open a fully-owned retail fund business in the country.

☆ China tightens listing guidelines to funnel funding to strategic sectors - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - China's stock regulator is set to stop local companies in certain sectors from listing on the country's main stock exchanges, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing two capital markets bankers familiar with the matter. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has informed bankers it has given some industries, including food and beverage and COVID-19 testing companies, a "red light" that stops them from equity financing on Shanghai and Shenzhen main exchanges, the report said. The regulator has also recognized a number of "yellow light" sectors, which include apparel and furniture companies, where listing requests would come under scrutiny if their growth relies heavily on debt for expansion, the report said. Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China securities regulator to check brokers' financing needs after Huatai share plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Jan 3 (Reuters) - China's securities regulator said it would fully check securities firms' financing needs after Huatai Securities Co Ltd (601688.SS), proposed a share placement plan that would be one of the biggest in China's brokerage industry. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) in a statement on Tuesday said it will fully pay attention to the necessity for, and rationality of, securities firms' financing, as part of its vetting process. The comments come as Huatai Securities, one of China's biggest brokerages, said on Friday it plans to raise 28 billion yuan ($4.07 billion) in A-share and H-share rights issue. Listed brokers should reasonably determine the financing plan and method, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of all types of investors, especially small and mid-sized investors, the regulator said. Huatai Securities did not reply to a phone call and an email seeking comment.

☆ China Securities Regulator Cracks Down on Online Brokerages Futu and Up Fintech
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Weilun Soon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Futu has been listed in the U.S. since 2019. SINGAPORE—China’s securities regulator said two Nasdaq-listed online brokers have allowed customers on the mainland to make cross-border trades, stoking concerns that Chinese authorities aren’t finished with their crackdowns on private-sector companies. The American depositary receipts of Up Fintech Holding Ltd., which is also known as Tiger Brokers, and Futu Holdings Ltd. tumbled more than 25% in U.S. premarket trading after the China Securities Regulatory Commission put out a statement Friday that named both companies.

☆ China regulator asks Futu and UP Fintech to stop soliciting mainland clients
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters reported earlier that Chinese officials were planning to ban online brokerages such as Futu Holdings Ltd and UP Fintech Holding Ltd from offering offshore trading services to mainland clients. The announcement also came a day after Futu, backed by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, delayed its listing plan in Hong Kong. The company said it was “clarifying certain matters concerning the Group with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange”, in a filing to the Hong Kong bourse on Thursday night. Futu and UP Fintech Hong Kong have conducted cross-border securities businesses involving domestic investors without regulatory consent, contravening Chinese laws, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said in a statement. The CSRC will ask the brokerages to take corrective measures, such as to stop soliciting new business from mainland investors, the watchdog said.

☆ China Regulator Says Futu, Up Fintech Violated Laws
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Weilun Soon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—China’s securities regulator said two Nasdaq-listed online brokers violated its domestic laws by allowing customers on the mainland to make cross-border trades, stoking concerns that Chinese authorities aren’t finished with their crackdowns on private-sector companies. The American depositary receipts of Up Fintech Holding Ltd., which is also known as Tiger Brokers, and Futu Holdings Ltd. fell around 20% in Friday morning New York trading after the China Securities Regulatory Commission put out a statement that mentioned both companies.

Companies BlackRock Inc FollowHONG KONG/SHANGHAI, Dec 21 (Reuters) - China plans to tighten rules to regulate environmentally friendly, or so-called green funds, as part of its efforts to rein in 'greenwashing' in the world's second-largest climate fund market, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. At present, China's green funds only operate within broad investment guidelines that came into effect in 2018 and do not have a mandatory labelling regime. China overtook the United States last year to become the second largest climate fund market globally after the European market, according to Morningstar, which compiles global ESG fund data. In the first nine months of this year, 43 climate-themed funds debuted in China, a 30% rise in total number of products from end-2020. AMAC's draft rules borrow from the 2021 version of China's green bond catalogue, a quasi scheme of classification, to define green assets.

☆ China's COVID surge hits Beijing trading floors, Shanghai finance hub
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI, Dec 19 (Reuters) - COVID-19 is sweeping through trading floors in Beijing and spreading fast in the financial hub of Shanghai, with illness and absence thinning already light trade and forcing regulators to cancel a weekly meeting vetting public share sales. Internal surveys by several big asset managers and banks suggest more than half of their employees in Beijing, the epicentre of the virus surge, have tested positive. Stock trading volume also eased last week. DISRUPTIONThe pandemic also has an impact on initial public offerings (IPOs), with the China Securities Regulatory Commission calling off a weekly meeting vetting them last week. To be sure, years of strict COVID rules have left a lot of businesses well placed to handle disruption.

☆ Stock delisting risks averted as US gains access to audit papers of Chinese tech companies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The announcement marks a major breakthrough in a yearslong standoff over how Chinese companies listed on Wall Street should be regulated. There are more than 260 Chinese companies listed on US stock exchanges, with a combined market capitalization of more than $770 billion, according to recent calculations posted by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The United States had increased pressure by passing a law in December 2020 requiring Chinese companies listed in the US to open their books to audit watchdogs. In Friday’s statement, the PCAOB said it had inspected the audits of eight Chinese companies completed by KPMG Huazhen LLP in China and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong. She added that the watchdog is continuing to demand complete access in mainland China and Hong Kong moving forward.

☆ China keen on regulatory cooperation in audit of U.S.-listed Chinese firms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The China Securities Regulatory Commission is looking forward to working with U.S. regulators to continue promoting future annual audit and supervision on companies listed in the U.S., it said on Friday. "We have always advocated solving regulatory issues of cross-border listing audit through regulatory cooperation mechanisms," the commission said in a statement. The U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board on Thursday said it has determined that it has full access to inspect and investigate firms in China for the first time in history. read moreReporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Liz Lee; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HONG KONG/BEIJING, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Chinese regulators and state-owned banks are taking steps to split staff at their workplaces in Beijing, sources told Reuters, as businesses brace for a possible spike in COVID cases after China relaxed virus restrictions in a major policy shift. Other staff are required to work from home, they added. Among China's big four state-owned banks, Bank of China (BOC) (601988.SS) has released a notice to staff that it would split its Beijing workforce into three groups, working in the office on alternate weeks, said a person with direct knowledge. But the bank has yet to decide when to start such rotations, the person added. Other large state banks have also made similar arrangements - splitting up staff into rotating shifts while maintaining a maximum of 10%-20% of staff occupancy in their headquarters in Beijing, said two other people with knowledge of the matter.

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