Chinese ADRs decline amid regulatory concerns amid probes into brokers

Investing.com -- US-listed shares of Chinese companies dropped Friday following news that China's securities regulator plans to penalize several cross-border brokerages for operating without proper licenses.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission announced it intends to penalize Futu Holdings Ltd., UP Fintech Holding Ltd.'s Tiger Brokers and Longbridge Securities Ltd. for operating on the mainland without authorization. The regulator said it will confiscate all illegal gains from both domestic and overseas entities of the firms and impose penalties.

According to the CSRC statement, the firms marketed services, processed trading orders, and provided other securities offerings within mainland China without regulatory approval. The brokerages have been granted the right to a defense and a formal hearing before the penalties are finalized.

Shares of UP Fintech fell roughly 27% in early Friday trading, while Futu Holdings declined over 29%. Both companies said they are cooperating with authorities.

The regulatory action affected broader Chinese equity markets. Alibaba fell 1.8%, while electric vehicle maker Nio dropped 6.5%. Baidu declined 2.5%, PDD Holdings slipped 3.2%, and JD.com lost 2.6%. The iShares MSCI China ETF fell 1.4%.

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