A?total of 176 Chinese mainland companies launched initial public offerings in global markets last year, compared with 113 in 2008. [Top 10 A-share IPOs of 2009]

They raised a combined US$54.65 billion, up 150 percent from a year earlier, from the mainland and nine overseas equity markets, the Zero2IPO Research Center said in a report yesterday.

Of them, 77 mainland firms were listed in overseas markets, 40 more than in 2008, to raise US$27.14 billion, up 292 percent, the report said.

"Recovering global equity markets and new share sales accelerated mainland firms to launch IPOs overseas last year," the research house said.

Hong Kong became the major overseas market for mainland companies to float new shares. Last year, 52 companies raised a combined US$24.84 billion from their IPOs in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the Nasdaq attracted eight mainland companies to raise US$1.48 billion, and the New York Stock Exchange five companies to raise US$459 million.

A total of 99 companies launched IPOs on the mainland last year, 23 more than a year earlier, after the securities regulator resumed new share sales in June.

These companies raised a combined US$27.51 billion, up 84.5 percent on a yearly basis, bolstered by heavyweights such as China State Construction Engineering Corp and Metallurgical Corp of China Ltd.

Among them, 54 were listed on the Shenzhen main board and 36 were listed on ChiNext, the Nasdaq-style board that was launched in October in Shenzhen. The 90 companies raised a combined US$9.19 billion, accounting for 33.4 percent of the total funds raised through IPOs on the mainland, while another nine companies on the Shanghai Stock Exchange raised US$18.32 billion.

Venture capital and private equity companies supported 77 mainland companies to launch IPOs worldwide last year, compared with 35 firms last year, raising US$15.63 billion in total, up 357 percent. Of them, 47 companies backed by these investors floated shares on the mainland, including 25 ChiNext firms.