Jun. 21, 2012 (China Knowledge) - The China Securities Regulatory Commission, the country's securities watchdog, said yesterday that it plans to maker it easier for qualified foreign institutional investors (QFIIs) to invest in the nation's capital market.

The country will lower the QFII threshold, including lowering the years of operation to two from five and the minimum asset requirements for a QFII to US$500 million from US$5 billion, according to a draft of revised rules on the QFII scheme released by the commission.

In addition, QFIIs will be allowed to invest in the country's inter-bank bond market and hold up to a 30% stake in a listed company, up from the current 20%.

As of to date, China has granted QFII licenses to 172 foreign institutions, of which 145 has obtained US$27.26 billion of quotas in total. Assets under QFII accounts totaled RMB 271.3 billion, accounting for about 1.1% of the total A-share capital market.