(Yicai) Sept. 3 -- The number of companies listed on the Beijing Stock Exchange has more than tripled in the three years since the bourse was opened.

The 251 firms on the BSE had a total market capitalization of CNY300 billion (USD42.1 billion) as of yesterday, the exchange's third anniversary. More than 90 percent are new technology firms and over 80 percent are in strategic emerging and advanced manufacturing industries.

The BSE was established as part of China's broader efforts to support small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly those involved in innovation and advanced manufacturing. The bourse was designed to complement the existing Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets by providing a platform tailored to the needs of these smaller, high-growth companies.

So far, companies have raised CNY53 billion (USD7.4 billion) by listing on the BSE, averaging CNY206 million (USD28.9 million) per business as well as CNY1.4 billion (USD196.6 million) banked through additional financing. The BSE had seven million qualified investors as of yesterday, up from about four million three years ago.

In the first half of the year, more than 60 percent of Beijing-listed companies achieved revenue growth from a year earlier, of which 14 logged a gain of more than 50 percent. Forty percent reported higher profits, of which 30 logged increases of over 50 percent.

On Sept. 1 last year, the China Securities Regulatory Commission released 19 measures to promote the high-quality development of the BSE, including some on investor eligibility, listing requirements, minimum offering price, margin trading, securities lending, and other areas.

"Investors are set to deepen their focus on the BSE thanks to the market environment's sustained optimization and policy support," a source at investment manager Dacheng Fund Management told Yicai.

Yicai has learned that further BSE reforms are in the works. Market participants have high expectations for these reforms, which include improving market liquidity, enhancing the quality of listed companies, and attracting a more diverse range of investment institutions.

Editors: Shi Yi, Futura Costaglione