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Orient Securities’ buyout of a smaller rival to create a new entity with at least 580 billion yuan (US$85 billion) in assets is a sign that the government-led consolidation of the brokerage industry is deepening, underscoring Beijing’s determination to cultivate bigger investment banks to take on global rivals.
In an exchange statement on Sunday night, Orient Securities said it planned to acquire 100 per cent of Shanghai Securities through the sale of new shares and cash, without disclosing the value of the deal. The buyout was still pending regulatory approvals, it said.
A successful acquisition would lift Orient Securities one notch to rank 10th place in the industry in terms of revenue and total assets, according to Sinolink Securities and Huatai Securities.
“There have been a number of mergers since 2023 because of the policy support,” said Shu Siqin, an analyst at Sinolink Securities. “We still expect more brokerages to strengthen their competitiveness in the industry through outside mergers, and a further consolidation of the industry.”
Hong Kong-listed shares of Orient Securities surged by as much as 14 per cent before paring the gain to 0.2 per cent to trade at HK$6.07 on Monday. The yuan-denominated stock of Orient Securities was suspended from trading in Shanghai, likely for no more than 10 days, pending further statements, after rising 0.7 per cent to 9.34 yuan on Friday. Shanghai Securities is unlisted.
