'Third board' swells, shines

Some 6,000 firms may list on NEEQ by the year end, but stricter rules are seen as key

The number of companies listing on the Beijing-based National Equities Exchange and Quotations, the over-the-counter equities market, has surged of late, raising the probability of the regulator rolling out new rules.

The electronic share trading system, better known as the "new third board", seemed to have stolen the limelight from the stock exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen as smaller companies, especially the cash-strapped startups, have flocked to it.