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Banking & finance
BusinessBanking & Finance

JPMorgan, Fidelity win approvals as China further opens up domestic markets

  • Approvals come as regulatory crackdown on tech sector has unnerved some investors
  • JPMorgan first foreign lender to win approval for taking full control of securities joint venture

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JPMorgan Chase’s building in Hong Kong. The American bank has become the first foreign lender to receive approval to take full control of its Chinese securities joint venture as Beijing further opens its financial sector. Photo: Nora Tam
Chad Bray

Beijing has granted a series of licences to Wall Street banks and overseas asset managers as it further opens up its domestic financial markets against the backdrop of a rapid regulatory crackdown on the technology sector that has sapped the confidence of some foreign investors in Chinese listings.

On Friday, JPMorgan Chase became the first foreign firm to win approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) to take 100 per cent control of its securities joint venture on the mainland. It increased its stake in the business to 71 per cent in November.

“China represents one of the largest opportunities in the world for many of our clients and for JPMorgan Chase,” Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s CEO, said in a statement. “Our scale and global capabilities give us a unique ability to help Chinese companies grow internationally and also support global investors as they expand into China’s maturing capital markets.”

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The American bank separately received approval last year to take full control of its futures business in China and has reached an agreement to buy out its asset management joint venture partner on the mainland.

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The blitz of approvals comes as Beijing has heightened its scrutiny of the technology sector and off-campus tutoring sectors since early July, unnerving investors with rapid regulatory changes that have wiped more than US$1 trillion in value off Chinese companies listed in the United States and Hong Kong.

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