China's commercial banks will soon be able to invest in overseas
stocks with funds managed on behalf of their clients.
The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) gave the official
go-ahead on Friday to allow commercial banks, holding the qualified
domestic institutional investor certificates, or QDIIs, to issue
wealth management products that invest in overseas stocks.
A bank will be allowed to invest no more than 50 percent of a
single wealth management product in foreign stocks. Banks are also
barred from investing more than 5 percent of a wealth management
product in a single stock, the financial regulator said in a rule
posted on its website on Friday.
Banks are also forbidden from using their own money in such
investments, the financial regulator said.
"The expansion of the investment scope of the QDII scheme will
be a win-win measure that will benefit both the mainland and Hong
Kong financial markets," said Joseph Yam, Hong Kong Monetary
Authority's chief executive.
"The move will certainly meet the mainlanders' growing appetite
for overseas investments," said Lai Wai-shing, an independent stock
analyst. "Hong Kong, meanwhile, will receive a boost as a regional
financial center."
QDIIs will likely first be made available to Hong Kong-listed
equity funds, which currently number more than 2,000.
QDII operators on the mainland are inexperienced with overseas
equity investment, making equity funds a good starting point for
QDII expansion, Lai said.
Strong interest is also expected in mainland shares listed in
Hong Kong. Because of the A-share market surge, H shares also
listed on the mainland are selling at a comparative discount.
QDII expansion will be gradual, said Ronald Wan Ten-lap,
managing director and head of investment banking at Bank of
Communications Securities.
"The fanatic A-share rally will keep the mainland capital from
flowing out too quickly," he said.
Though H shares will probably close their price gap with A
shares, "it's unlikely to move the Hong Kong market as a whole,"
Wan said.
The Chinese government launched the QDII program last April to
allow commercial banks and fund management firms to make overseas
investment on behalf of their clients. The program is expected to
reduce foreign exchange reserve pressures.
The response has been poor so far - just 3 percent of the US$13
billion in QDII quotas have been used.
This is largely because banks are allowed to invest in
fixed-income or money market products, but not equities. With the
yuan growing in value against greenback and the soaring A-share
market, the limited returns offered by QDII products lack
appeal.
(China Daily May 12, 2007)