Nearly 90% of mainland Chinese exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors in a survey said they would trade ETFs through the Stock Connect programme if they could.
The authorities behind Stock Connect, which links mainland bourses with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, have suggested that ETFs will join the scheme, a development that some are expecting to happen this year.
“Regulatory reform has helped spur the growth of ETFs in the US and Europe,” said Chris Pigott, head of Hong Kong ETF servicing at Brown Brothers Harriman, which arranged the survey. “The inclusion of ETFs in Stock Connect will open another cross-border channel for mainland investors to deploy their capital and further diversify their investment outside the mainland.”
The company surveyed 100 financial intermediaries and institutional investors in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan that were investors in ETFs.
Research published earlier this month suggested ETF Connect would help to double assets under management in ETFs in the Asia-Pacific region.
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