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By Yin Lei

China's securities watchdog allows more foreigners to have their A-share securities accounts in China starting from mid-September.

On Wednesday, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) announced revisions to two sets of administrative measures, which respectively governed the registration and settlements of securities and the management of share incentive plans in public companies.

These revisions, set to take effect on September 15, gave more foreign individuals access to China’s stock market and allowed A-share companies to include more foreign employees in their equity incentive plans.

The revisions to the administrative measures on securities registration and settlements stated that a foreign individual who meets certain eligibility requirements could apply to the China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (CSDC) to get an A-share securities account.

Founded in March 2001, the CSDC is the only entity in China that handles the registration, clearing and settlement of securities. The Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange each hold a 50 percent stake in this company.

On Wednesday, the CSDC released the rules detailing how a foreign applicant can open their A-share account.

A notice on its website specified that an eligible foreign applicant must be one who works in China and comes from a country or region where the local securities watchdog has regulatory cooperation with the CSRC. The list of these countries and regions, last updated in mid-June, is available at the CSRC’s official website.

The administrative measures on equity incentives in public companies also underwent some changes.

Under these changes, China’s securities watchdog allowed the share incentive plans of an A-share company to cover all its foreign employees instead of only those working in China. They can apply to the CSDC for an A-share securities account with the help of their employer.

The CSRC is currently working with other related authorities on taxation and currency issues.