OREANDA-NEWS. July 22, 2013. “China Cross-Straits Technology & Projects and Financial Capital Matchmaking Symposium” was held in Fuzhou, and the fair was jointly sponsored by Fujian Development and Reform Commission, Fujian Provincial Economic and Trade Commission, Fujian Provincial Department of Science & Technology, State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the Fujian Provincial People's Government, Industrial Bank Co., Ltd. (IB), and Cross-straits Equity Exchange Center.   

As an important matchmaking campaign of the 11 th China Cross-Straits Technology & Projects Fair (6•18 Fair for short), the matchmaking symposium attracted nearly 1,000 representatives from various circles including government, banking, brokerages, PE institutions, World Fujian Boss Group and outstanding private enterprises of Fujian Province, and all attendees exchanged ideas centering on the themes of “SME growth, financing, listing and IPO”.

At the symposium, Ba Shusong, Deputy Director of Finance Research Institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Wang Yi, General Manager of the Small-sized Enterprises Department of IB Head Office, Wu Kezhong, President of PreIPO Capital Partners Limited, Fang Baorong, Managing Director and operation coordination officer of the Investment Banking Department of China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC), respectively delivered keynote speeches regarding the hot topics concerned by the attendees, such as the orientation of China's macroeconomic policies after the 18 th CPC National Congress, financing channels for SMEs, roads of growth for SMEs, and paths for SMEs to make breakthrough in IPO.

Aiming at helping SMEs to broaden their financial vision, make well-structured life cycle development and financing planning, and extend financing channels, the symposium intends to give a boost to transforming achievements of projects matched in 6 • 18 Fair, and build a never-ending matchmaking platform of investment and financing between growing SMEs, which are in need of financing, reorganization, merger, listing and IPO, and various financial capital, so as to assist them to grow bigger and stronger quickly. In addition, the symposium also held a special road show for outstanding projects in particular, promoting six selected SMEs of excellent performance to the attending investment institutions on the site. Coming from different industries and remaining at different growth stages, the enterprises promoted in the road show are all in high need of financing and industrialized development.

They all hoped to alleviate their insufficient capital and accelerate the transformation of project achievements and industrial upgrading through the symposium. Famous investment institutions and brokerages including Fortune Venture Capital Co., Ltd. and China International Capital Corporation Limited gathered at Fuzhou seeking business opportunities. They held negotiations with the enterprises in the road show at the symposium, which, to the largest extent, reduced the information and time cost of both the investing and financing parties, ensured the sufficient exchange between both parties, and improved the successful rate and efficiency of investment and financing matchmaking.

In order to further help SMEs to broaden their financial vision and make well-structured development planning, three special industrial salons and a special workshop for Cross-straits Equity Exchange Center were arranged in particular at the symposium. At the special industrial salons, executives from well-known investment institutions and brokerages, centering on the theme of “introduction of start-up and PE investment”, held heated discussions on how to introduce capital investment and how to grasp market opportunities by virtue of the power of capital in hot industries, such as modern electronic technology, modern agriculture, and consumer goods, in combination with their own accumulated experience and practice.

The special salons laid stress on the quality and effect of discussion, with guests giving original and profound ideas, thus providing a broader macro-industrial view for attending entrepreneurs of SMEs. At the special financing service workshop of Cross-straits Equity Exchange Center, around the theme of “boosting the development of SMEs”, Cross-straits Equity Exchange Center gave an introduction centering on investment and financing services provided to unlisted SMEs such as financing service and listing at regional equity trading market. Meanwhile, a number of corporate members were also invited to make in-depth analysis and share cases about the applicability of financing tools at different growth stages of enterprises, with a view to showcasing the inclusive financial service functions at the platform level.

At the symposium, the “IB Open Sesame” SME IPO Program introduced by IB attracted the attention of a great number of attending enterprises. Three years ago, IB officially released “IB Open Sesame” SME IPO Program, which is characterized by the final objective of helping SMEs to grow until IPO, via the platform of “6.18 Fair”. By the end of this March, this program has, in succession, assisted nearly 100 enterprises to launch their IPOs successfully at domestic and overseas capital markets, apart from 20 more waiting for IPO after passing the examination of China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and more than 300 introducing PE investment or entering into the IPO guidance stage.

As learnt by the reporter, "IB Open Sesame" is positioned as the considerate financial consultant of SMEs. During the whole process of their development, not only does IB provide financial support with traditional commercial banking loans, but also professional assistance for various business demands of enterprises including equity financing, IPO planning, debt financing and marketing planning, etc. At present, "IB Open Sesame" covers six business sectors including IPO financial consultant, IPO guidance sponsor, private equity financing, issuance of SME private equity debt, listing at the new three boards, and marketing planning, thus becoming a platform with integrated resources matching the capital market. With the platform, SMEs may find various resources suitable for their own development.

In order to improve the services to SMEs, IB has successively established overall partnership with a number of brokerages including CICC, China Galaxy Securities, and GF Securities, and nearly 100 private equity investment institutions including Fortune Venture Capital, SAIF, PreIPO, and Sequoia Capital, jointly building an integrated service platform matching the capital market. In this year, the enterprises participating in the road show for equity financing projects at “China Cross-Straits Technology & Projects and Financial Capital Matchmaking Symposium”, with the platform of “IB Open Sesame”, got an opportunity to showcase their corporate image to the capital market and to have face-to-face exchange with a number of well-known private equity investment institutions. In the future, they can fully make use of the bridge function provided by the platform to match the capital market successfully and introduce various capitals for their future development and growth.

As further learnt by the reporter, as the only national listed bank based in Fujian, IB has always taken it as one of its mission to support the scientific and frog-leap development of the province, actively provided services to key enterprises and industries as well as SMEs in the real economy of the Western Taiwan Straits, and intensified its supporting efforts to serve the real economy, exerting itself to serve the construction of the Western Taiwan Straits Area by diverting its resources. By the end of March 2013, the increase of loans extended by IB both in home and foreign currencies across the province has remained higher than the increase of loans extended by other banks in the province and the increase of loans extended by financial institutions across China . Specifically, its balance of loans to SMEs hit RMB 18.236 billion, an increase of RMB 1.675 billion over the beginning of this year, up by 10.11%.

In order to further intensify its support to the real economy, IB has fully upgraded the experience of financial services for conventional credit to small- and mini-sized corporate customers. For instance, at the beginning of 2013, the bank adjusted and improved the customer orientation, business strategy and development objective of its small-sized enterprise business in an active manner and took small- and mini-sized corporate customers with total assets below RMB 60 million as a key target of financial services on its own initiative, thus sinking the focus of financial services to small-sized enterprises.

Meanwhile, IB launched a range of measures for system and mechanism reform, gradually established a business system featuring standardized management, plant operation and diversified financing, explored and built a value-added service system meeting the growing demands of small-sized enterprises, and formed long-term specialized operation capacity, thus driving the upgrading of financial services to small- and mini-sized enterprises in an all-sided manner. Centering on the characteristics of demands of small- and mini-sized enterprises, the bank made sustained innovation and kept improving the specialized, pertinent and applicable financial services to small- and mini-sized enterprises. While exerting itself to build the service brand of “IB Open Sesame SME IPO Program”, IB kept enriching the product lines of small-sized enterprise targeted businesses, released such key innovative products including “IB Point-based Loan”, “IB Enhancement loan” and “IB Quick Loan” and so as to effectively help small-sized enterprises to extend their financing channels, reduce the financing cost, and improve the financing efficiency.