Betex, the London-listed bookmaker focussed on China, is anything but the sure-cert bet it once seemed. Indeed, investors now risk losing their shirts as the company has been delisted from London's Aim market...   more »

What a difference two years and a US credit squeeze makes. Once, stock brokers were seen as the untouchables of China's financial sector. Fast forward to today and the news that Citic Securities is to invest $1bn for a 6% stake in Bear Stearns, the US investment bank, hard hit by the credit squeeze. Equally surprising, the US firm is reciprocating...   more »

London Asia Chinese Private Equity has seen trading in its shares temporarily suspended to allow auditors to valuate its investments. By itself, one should not read too much into the delay. Nevertheless, valuing small Chinese companies is more of a black art than a science...   more »

Patience is a virtue. Australian bank ANZ has taken its second minority stake in a Chinese bank, although the deal took four years to close. ANZ will pay $263m for a 19.9% stake in Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank (SRCB) - China's largest rural commercial bank...   more »

China's soaring stock markets have propelled Citic to become the world's fourth largest broker behind Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. Beijing-based Citic has a market capitalisation of more than $40bn and has put on $30bn just in the current year...   more »

The QDII scheme finally comes of age with the news that China's largest mutual fund company, China Asset Management, plans to launch its first qualified domestic institutional investor fund next month to raise up to 10bn yuan...   more »

In a further sign of growing openness in China's financial markets, private investors will be able to buy foreign securities for the first time under new scheme launched yesterday. The move is designed to help reduce the trade frictions caused by China's swelling foreign reserves by making it easier for investors to invest overseas...   more »

Xinhua Finance, the largest provider of financial information in China, has signed an exclusive agreement with Belgian software house Fermat to distribute and support Fermat's range of Basel II, risk and performance management software solutions in mainland China...   more »

Long before the current private equity bandwagon started to roll, British pioneer 3i was quietly funding unknown start-ups. It entered the Chinese market in 2001 and has invested in around ten companies including Focus Media, which had a successful Nasdaq IPO. The firm is slooking to invest in four to five Chinese companies this year...   more »

Liberty Mutual Group, the US insurer, has won approval from regulators to incorporate locally in Chongqing, the megacity in western China. The firm launched its Chongqing branch in 2004, making it the first foreign insurer to expand non-life insurance business to China's relatively unexplored western region...   more »