PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP (“PwC”) recently issued an independent assurance report in response to the Principles for Financial Benchmarks of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (“IOSCO”) to SZSE’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Shenzhen Securities Information Co., Ltd. (“SSI”). Passing the independent assurance review means that SSI’s index governance has reached the international mainstream level and its index business has entered into a new phase in international development.
SZSE has always been attaching great importance to the development of the index system. With a focus on the development of the “Shenzhen Index + ChiNext and Shenzhen 100” core index system, SZSE has strengthened the R&D of indexes and the construction of the index product system and given full play to the roles of indexes in serving national strategies, guiding optimal allocation of resources, attracting medium- and long-term funds to the market. As the first company in China to conduct professional index business and member of the Index Industry Association, SSI, entrusted by SZSE, operates SZSE index series and provides authoritative index tools for analyzing and investing in the SZSE market. In the meantime, with “CNI Index” as the brand, SSI builds a cross-market index system that covers domestic and overseas markets. Its index fields such as chips & semiconductors, biomedicine and green bonds are highly recognized by markets. Deeply engaging in the index cooperation with exchanges in regions along the Belt and Road, SSI has launched the first cross-border collaborative indexes in China including CNI Dhaka Selected and CNI-Bursa Malaysia 50.
SSI launched the IOSCO assurance work at the end of 2019, engaging the independent audit institution PwC to review the implementation of international regulatory requirements on corporate governance framework, internal control system, supervision and mechanism for prevention of conflicts of interest. Through the assurance, SZSE indexes series and CNI indexes series have been further standardized, and their impartiality and credibility further recognized. Relevant official of SZSE said that taking the assurance as an opportunity, SZSE will learn from best international practices, promote the professional and international development of index business in an orderly manner, provide higher quality investment targets and technical services to domestic and foreign investors, and improve the breadth and depth of services for domestic and foreign investors comprehensively, so as to better support the high-standard two-way opening up of China’s capital market.
For the full independent assurance report, please visit the official website of CNI Index (www.cnindex.com.cn).
