China brokerages surge overseas as Citic posts $2.4 billion in foreign revenue
Major Chinese brokers are expanding globally with profits from international operations jumping significantly over the past half-year.
Leading securities firms in China are aggressively expanding their presence abroad, driven by surging profits from cross-border transactions. In its interim report covering the first six months ended June 2026, Citic Securities reported that revenue generated outside mainland China rose 45.5 percent year-on-year to 15.86 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion). This overseas growth slightly outpaced the firm's overall revenue increase of 44.1 percent during the same period. The international division, Citic Securities International, recorded operating revenue of US$2.32 billion and net profit of US$829 million for the period, representing increases of 56 percent and 114 percent respectively compared to a year earlier. Total assets in this unit reached US$91.43 billion, a 60 percent rise from the prior year. Transaction volume also climbed, with Citic completing 44 overseas equity deals worth US$4.22 billion, including two Malaysian initial public offerings. Additionally, the firm handled 96 offshore bond transactions and managed 28 global mergers and acquisitions valued at a total of US$22.88 billion involving Chinese entities across Southeast Asia and Europe.
