China's SME development index edges up in Jan

China's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) saw a slight improvement in their development index in January, rising 0.1 points to 89.0 compared to December, according to data released Tuesday by the China Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CASME).

The increase reflects steady improvement in market demand and growing optimism about future prospects.

The CASME survey, covering eight industries, revealed increased market indices in six sectors. The social services sector experienced the most significant growth, with its market index rising by 0.6 points.

Order indices increased in seven industries, sales volume indices rose in six, and fixed asset investment indices climbed in seven.

Reflecting growing confidence, both the macroeconomic sentiment index and the industry sentiment index saw a 0.3 point increase from December, indicating that SMEs are increasingly optimistic about their future development.

China's financial authorities have released regulations to optimize fund management requirements for domestic companies listed overseas.

The regulations, effective from April 1, 2026, were jointly released by the People's Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange to further improve the convenience of cross-border financing.

The new regulations align the management standards for funds in both domestic and foreign currencies. Proceeds from overseas listings, share reductions or transfers can be repatriated in either foreign currency or Chinese currency renminbi, simplifying their utilization.

Regarding the full circulation of H-shares, the new regulations allow listed companies to pay dividends to domestic shareholders in renminbi in China, streamlining the distribution process.

Regulated by Chinese law, H-shares are shares of enterprises incorporated in the Chinese mainland that are listed on the HKEX.

The new regulations also simplify procedures for listing registrations, share increases and decreases, buybacks, delistings, fund transfers and account usage, improving operational efficiency for businesses and better supporting their overseas expansion and the growth of the real economy.