Citic, CICC and Guotai Haitong among those broadening cross-border deal-making and committing fresh capital to international arms as Beijing backs stronger investment banks
3-MIN READ3-MINYulu AoPublished: 10:00am, 1 Sep 2026China’s leading brokerages are accelerating their push overseas, pouring billions of yuan into their international arms as cross-border deals expand and profits from overseas operations grow, according to their latest interim reports.
Citic Securities, one of China’s largest brokerages, saw revenue generated outside mainland China rise 45.5 per cent, year on year, to 15.86 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion) in the six months ended June, according to its interim report. The growth slightly outpaced the group’s 44.1 per cent increase in overall revenue.
Its international arm, Citic Securities International (CSI), generated US$2.32 billion in operating revenue and US$829 million in net profit during the period, up 56 per cent and 114 per cent, respectively, from a year earlier. Total assets reached US$91.43 billion, 60 per cent higher than a year earlier.
Citic also expanded cross-border deal-making, completing 44 overseas equity transactions worth US$4.22 billion, including two major Malaysian initial public offerings (IPOs). The brokerage also handled 96 offshore bond transactions for Chinese issuers, as well as 28 global mergers and acquisitions that had a total value of US$22.88 billion and involved Chinese companies. Citic also completed deals across Southeast Asia and Europe, according to the report.
China International Capital Corporation (CICC) reported a similar trend. Its overseas revenue in the first half of 2026 saw a year-on-year increase of 45 per cent to 9.19 billion yuan from 6.34 billion yuan a year earlier, faster than the investment bank’s 39.2 per cent overall revenue growth, according to its interim report. Overseas operations accounted for about 35 per cent of its revenue, up from 34 per cent a year earlier.
Meanwhile, CICC sponsored 27 Hong Kong IPOs with an underwriting value of US$5.74 billion in the first half, compared with 13 deals worth US$2.87 billion a year earlier.
The total assets of CICC International, its international arm, stood at HK$448.6 billion at the end of June, while net profit saw a year-on-year rise of 65 per cent to HK$4.35 billion.
