CITIC Securities International announced that its new presence inside the Dubai International Financial Centre will target cooperation across government agencies, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, family offices, and regional enterprises as part of an acceleration in overseas network growth among mainland Chinese securities firms operating under regulatory encouragement to build internationally competitive investment banks.
CITIC Secures Dubai License
CITIC Securities International plans to use its new representative office as a strategic fulcrum to connect Chinese capital markets with Middle Eastern investors, assisting domestic enterprises with expansion into the region while facilitating local capital deployment into China. As a financial center spanning the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, the Dubai International Financial Centre serves as an anchor for inbound and outbound capital.
That branch holds a Category 4 license, making it the first mainland Chinese brokerage to operate a licensed physical presence in the Gulf region. This licensing milestone follows the earlier entry of China International Capital Corporation, whose Hong Kong subsidiary—CICC International—established a branch within the center that opened in May 2025 under authorization from the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
Brokerages Expand Global Footprint
Guotai Haitong’s subsidiary, Guotai Junan International, signed a cooperation memorandum of understanding with the municipal government of Almaty in Kazakhstan to establish long-term ties in cross-border financing and help local issuers tap Hong Kong’s capital markets for offshore renminbi funding. Beyond the Gulf, major securities houses are advancing their international footprints through new entities, joint ventures, and cross-border partnerships.
Meanwhile, Guotai Haitong has moved to acquire an Indonesian brokerage following prior expansions in Singapore and Vietnam. Huatai Securities has established a subsidiary in Japan and holds multiple credentials through its international arms, including capital market services and sponsor licenses from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, registration with the Securities and Exchange Board of India, and underwriting memberships with the New York Stock Exchange. Other institutions are tailoring their overseas strategies to specific geographic markets.
Data Shows Overseas Coverage
Guotai Haitong, CITIC Securities, and China Galaxy Securities led the group with coverage across 15, 13, and 10 regions respectively. Data compiled by non-bank financial analyst teams at West Securities indicate that five major brokerages maintained overseas network coverage spanning five or more regions by the end of 2025.
Southeast Asia has emerged as a primary scaled growth pole outside Hong Kong, driven by geographic proximity, macroeconomic resilience, and the concentrated relocation of Chinese manufacturing capacity abroad. Industry analysis from KPMG points to distinct regional patterns in these deployment strategies. By contrast, expansion in mature financial centers across Europe, North America, and Japan has prioritized regulatory licensing, sales and trading network integration, and institutional client retention.
West Securities non-bank analysts said according to the Securities Times that the internationalization of leading Chinese brokerages has entered a new stage characterized by the parallel advancement of global network expansion and regional specialization.
CICC previously assisted the Development Bank of Kazakhstan in issuing offshore renminbi bonds, while CITIC Securities International issued the first batch of structured warrants on Bursa Malaysia to become the initial mainland-backed international warrant issuer in that exchange. Firms are also utilizing landmark transactions to establish local market footholds, particularly across jurisdictions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, following the May 2025 opening of the CICC International branch under authorization from the Dubai Financial Services Authority.