The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) introduced recent measures to facilitate follow-on offerings this week, according to a statement released by the exchange. The move comes as the SSE continues to solicit public opinions on revisions to rules for listing stocks and standardized operation guidelines for both the Main Board and the STAR Market.
The SSE’s initiatives for 2026 also include the release of three annexes to the Guide on Sustainability Reporting, aimed at promoting higher-quality disclosure by listed companies. These developments follow a January announcement where the Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing Stock Exchanges jointly raised the minimum margin requirement for leveraged trading.
As of September 2024, the SSE listed 2,269 companies, with a total market capitalization of ¥45071.40 billion (approximately $6.41 trillion), making it the world’s third-largest stock market by that metric. The exchange is a non-profit organization administered by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC).
The STAR Market, a board within the SSE focused on technology and innovation, currently hosts 603 companies, attracting increasing attention from investors. Trading volume on the SSE reached 61 trillion yuan in 2025, ranking it as the largest in Asia and third globally.
Prior to the Spring Festival, SSE-listed companies distributed nearly RMB 350 billion in dividends, often referred to as “red envelopes of cash” by investors. China’s CSRC chairman recently pledged deeper capital market opening and reforms of both the STAR Market and the ChiNext board, according to reports from China Daily.
The SSE was originally established as the Shanghai Sharebrokers Association in 1866, but the modern exchange was re-established on November 26, 1990, beginning operations on December 19 of the same year. While it is a major global exchange, the Shanghai Stock Exchange remains less open to foreign investors than the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and is subject to influence from the Chinese central government due to existing capital controls.
