All posts tagged: brokerages

The end of a regulatory grey zone: Why China is cracking down on offshore brokerages

The end of a regulatory grey zone: Why China is cracking down on offshore brokerages

Not all investors are rushing for the exits. UOB’s Goh said that the measures provide a two-year transition period and do not require investors to immediately liquidate existing holdings. “There is no mechanical reason to act today,” he said, noting that investors can still sell and withdraw funds during the transition period. Ge, the software engineer and investor in Beijing, said he felt some relief because the brokerage platform he uses was not among the three offshore brokerages specifically named by regulators this time round. He is taking a wait-and-see approach because regulators appeared to be phasing in the restrictions gradually, and investors still had time to respond. Goh at UOB noted that changing brokers is often more complicated than simply opening a new account, especially for investors who have built up portfolios over several years. “Trusting a platform with new money and feeling you must sell what you already hold are two different things,” he said. Some may shift back into approved channels such as QDII, Stock Connect or Wealth Management Connect, while others …