China Finance Online Co. (NASDAQ: JRJC) is partnering with Founder CIFCO Futures Co., Ltd as the Chinese brokerage firms look to tap their respective user base to sell more financial products.
Established in 1999 and public since 2004, China Finance Online operates as a financial information provider in China and specializes in providing financial contents and products to institutional and retail investors.
Per the partnership agreement, China Finance Online will collaborate with the subsidiary of Founder Securities to develop a more advanced trading system, market news alerts, a Cloud -based research platform, and industry forums.
The market for on-demand local services has become a hotly contested field among China’s financial giants, as it serves as an entry point to other services, and also provides further insight into investors interests.
China Finance Online Co., which is the only Chinese financial service company listed in a major US exchange, already provides subscription-based service packages through proprietary software. Through its subsidiary, Shenzhen Genius, the company also offers access to financial information database and Analytics to securities and investment firms.
Door opens for $50 billion cake
China has repeatedly pledged to open its financial markets, including allowing foreign firms to own as much as 51 percent of their securities ventures, up from the current 49 percent ceiling.
Global investment banks, including Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, seek a controlling stake in its Chinese business under new rules. Having spent years operating with limitations, where they were not authorized to surpass a 49 percent limit, both banks also signaled a desire to take majority stakes in their Chinese ventures in order to expand their mainland’s business.
Securities firms in China, which are mostly dominated by state-owned banks, generated more than $50 billion in revenue in 2017, official data show.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said in June 2018 that the nation would accelerate the opening up of its financial sector, including measures to facilitate foreign access to the Chinese insurance industry and easing restrictions for entry and expansion of foreign financial institutions.
