Skip to main content

Approves IPO reform proposal, new system could start by March

Chinas top legislature on Sunday approved a proposal to revamp the countrys initial public offering ( IPO) system, authorising the government to implement changes to the system that could be in place as early as March, the official Xinhua news agency said.
The State Council, or cabinet, had been awaiting approval on its plans to shift to aUS- style registration system for stock market floations.
In the latest reform aimed at developing Chinas financial market, the changes are expected to help companies raise money more efficiently and reduce the involvement of regulators in the capital market.
The widely expected approval by the National Peoples Congress, announced on Sunday, paves the way for regulators to draft detailed rules that will be implemented after seeking public feedback.
Xinhua reported the approval on its official microblog. The next step for the State Council is to come up with specific details of the new IPO system. The cabinet could do so and implement a new IPO mechanism as early as on March 1 next year, Xinhua reported.
However, the state council has two years from March to do so.
The State Council said earlier this month it expects the new system to be implemented within two years.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) began speaking of moving away from its current approval- based system - seen as distorting the IPO market and encouraging official corruption -to a registration system, where the market decides who gets to list and for how much, in early 2014.
But the stock market crash that began in mid- June, blamed in part on an IPO glut hitting the market, put that process on hold as the CSRC froze new listings to stabilise a market that lost as much as 40 per cent in just a few weeks.
After a pause of more than three months beginning in July, IPOs were finally allowed to resume over the past several weeks.
Although most market observers welcome the reforms as a needed step towards a fairer and more transparent listing process, investors have also raised concerns that a more streamlined process could result in a flood of new listings, pushing down stocks once again.
The changes are expected to help companies raise money more efficiently and reduce the involvement of regulators in the capital market.
Business Standard, New Delhi, 28th Dec. 2015 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Govt’s gamble on GST cuts: What do the bond and currency markets signal?

  It’s not just humans who suffer from cognitive biases; markets do too. Interestingly, different financial markets exhibit distinct biases, each interpreting events through its own prism of prejudice. Take the recent announcements on GST reforms: equity markets have chosen to view them through the lens of growth, while bond and currency markets are focusing on potential macroeconomic risks—fiscal pressures and current account challenges. So, which lens captures the true pulse?Equity markets may be right in expecting GST reforms to revive consumption, which has remained lacklustre for a while. But the key question remains—will this revival come at the cost of broader macro stability?It is well known that consumption stocks have rallied since the GST rationalisation announcement. But what about bond markets? What signals are they sending since this rejig was announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort?The signs aren't encouraging. Bond prices have slumped and yields have surged sinc...

Luxury carmakers urge clarity on GST rates to boost festive season sales

  A clear picture regarding new GST rates at the earliest will help the overall auto industry, including the luxury car segment, to regain momentum in the ongoing quarter, which generally sees enhanced sales on account of the festive season.The high-powered GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will meet on September 3-4 to discuss moving to a two-slab taxation.In an interaction with PTI, BMW Group India President and CEO Hardeep Singh Brar said the recent speculation about the change in GST rates has caused uncertainty in the minds of consumers.Consumer interest and demand is strong, but they (prospective buyers) have adopted a wait-and-watch approach, and this delayed decision-making is impacting new vehicle sales at a certain level, he noted."Expediting clarity on GST rates is essential to get back to speed and ensure the auto sector's contribution to economic growth during this quarter is robust," Brar stated.He also hoped that the sustainable p...

Sebi proposes tighter norms for green bond third-party reviewers

  Sebi on Friday said it has proposed to tighten the norms to appoint independent third-party reviewers or certifiers for green debt securities to align them with requirements for other ESG-linked bonds.In a draft circular, Sebi said that the current norms for green bonds, introduced in February 2023, lack detailed requirements around reviewer independence, conflict of interest mitigation, and disclosure standards that are now in place for other ESG-linked securities under a June 2025 circular.The regulator's latest proposal seeks public comments on a revised framework that would bring parity by incorporating comprehensive criteria for third-party certifiers of green bonds on non-convertible securities.Under the proposed norms, issuers of green debt securities will need to appoint reviewers who are independent of their management, directors, and key managerial personnel. These reviewers will be remunerated in a way that prevents any conflicts of interest and possess relevant expert...