KPMG China’s 11th annual survey of securities companies in mainland China revealed that the industry is expanding beyond the traditional brokerage business into wealth management and an overseas footprint, with digitalisation one of the key competitive differentiators.

The Mainland China Securities Survey 2017 summarises key findings from the audited annual reports of 129 securities companies in China. The report notes that 2016 was the third best-performing year for China’s securities industry. Total operating income hit RMB 328.6 billion with total profits of RMB 123.2 billion.

In addition, the report highlights the industry’s continued efforts towards digitalisation and internationalisation - with a total of 14 Chinese securities companies listing in Hong Kong as at the end of June 2017. Internationalisation is also taking shape in the domestic China market as an increasing number of sino-foreign joint-venture securities companies are expected to be established.

In the age of digitalisation, we believe the future of the securities industries belong to companies that are able to successfully integrate fintech with traditional financial services. Technology has the potential to empower the entire business chain and those looking to gain a headstart now will stand to benefit the most in the future.

Read the full report for more analysis and insights.