Bank of East Asia (BEA), the fifth largest lender in Hong Kong, said it is planning to list on the mainland A-share market.

Brian Li, deputy chief executive of BEA, said on Tuesday that the bank may consider a Shanghai listing as early as next year, but did not provide any further details.

"We have always been following the issue, and are in constant touch with the regulators on the necessary criteria (for the possible listing)," said Li while attending the opening ceremony of East Asia Securities in Taipei.

Sun Minjie, executive vice-president of BEA China, told China Daily yesterday that the bank may either list entirely on the A-share market or list only the mainland assets in Shanghai. The bank said it would finalize its plan after discussions with the regulator.

"We have been in active discussions with the authorities for a mainland listing. The process started even before we got permission to set up a locally-incorporated bank in China in 2007," said Sun.

Most of the foreign banks' seem to be firming up their mainland IPO plans, with HSBC reportedly seeking underwriters for its possible A-share listing.

HSBC, Hong Kong's largest lender, is planning to raise 50 billion yuan through its mainland IPO next year in a bid to become the largest foreign bank, according to a Shanghai Securities Journal report yesterday.

In a circular issued by the State Council in April, it said qualified overseas firms would be allowed to issue yuan shares on the mainland. In May, the Shanghai government said it would "actively support the construction of the international board of the Shanghai Securities Exchange (SSE), and allow qualified overseas firms and red-chips to float A shares on the mainland market."

At the Lujiazui Forum in May, Zhang Yujun, general manager of SSE, also said the exchange will go ahead with steps to launch the international sub-board to attract more foreign enterprises.

Lu Hongjun, president of the Shanghai Institute of International Finance, told China Daily yesterday that 2010 would be a prime time for overseas banks' mainland listing, taking into account China's stabilizing economy and the central government's vow to turn Shanghai into an international financial center.

"(Overseas banks' mainland listing) will also mark a crucial step in the internationalization of the capital market, considering the massive scale of China's stock market nowadays," Lu said, adding that any such move would definitely help consolidate Shanghai's ambition to become an international financial center.

Lu also felt that the market regulator should indicate whether it intends to permit the setting up of an international sub-board on the SSE.

In a report issued in June, UBS AG forecast that blue-chips in Hong Kong, such as HSBC and BEA, stood a good chance to float shares on the mainland.

Foreign giants like Coca-Cola and Siemens, and mainland red-chips in Hong Kong such as China Mobile and Lenovo, may also fall into such categories due to their massive business investment on the mainland, the UBS report said.

BEA China, which has its headquarters in Shanghai, has so far launched 67 outlets on the mainland.

Shares of BEA dropped 3.09 percent to close at HK$25.1 yesterday in Hong Kong.

(China Daily August 13, 2009)