Once an obscure institution, China Securities Finance Corp was thrust into the spotlight on Sunday by news it would serve as conduit for the central bank to inject funding into the country’s ailing stock market.
Established in 2011 with the approval of the State Council, China’s cabinet, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission, CSF describes itself as “the only institution that provides margin financing loan services to qualified securities companies in China’s capital markets”.
The company was meant to support a pilot project launched in 2010 that allowed for mainland securities brokerages to engage in margin finance and securities lending for the first time.