(Yicai) July 31 -- German private banking solutions provider Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe Privatbank has become the seventh overseas entity to submit a qualified foreign investor application to the Chinese securities watchdog.

Hauck Aufhäuser applied for a Qualified Foreign Investor Qualification Permit on July 29, the China Securities Regulatory Commission said in a statement published on its website yesterday.

Founded in 1761, Hauck Aufhäuser is an independent lender based in Frankfurt. Last year, it applied to become a Qualified Domestic Limited Partner in Shanghai and established Hauck Qiaofu Private Equity Fund Management (Shanghai).

Applying to become a QFI is a common move among foreign financial institutions to increase their presence in the Chinese market.

In the first half of the year, 36 financial institutions were approved to become QFI, with the total reaching 839 as of June 30, according to data from the CSRC.

In addition to foreign financial institutions, overseas securities firms are also accelerating their layout in China. BNP Paribas Securities was established in Shanghai on July 16, becoming China’s fourth wholly foreign-owned securities trader after Goldman Sachs (China) Securities, JPMorgan Securities (China), and Standard Chartered Securities (China).

On July 19, a 40 percent stake in DBS Securities (China), the securities joint venture in China of Singaporean financial institution DBS Bank, was listed on the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange. According to a Shanghai Securities News report released today, DBS Bank is pondering increasing its stake in DBS Securities.

Some other offshore securities firms are also trying to expand their business scope in China. For example, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Qianhai Securities, the securities JV in China of Hong Kong-based banking group HSBC and Chinese state-owned financial holding platform Qianhai Financial Holdings, received a margin trading license last month.

Editor: Futura Costaglione