China Futures Market Funds Reach RMB 2.64 Trillion; Institutional Clients Account for 73%
China's futures market saw total funds reach RMB 2.64 trillion as of end-July 2026, up 23% from end-2025, with client equity at RMB 2.49 trillion, up 24%. Institutional clients held 73% of equity, a share that has risen since 2024. In the first seven months, unit client accounts grew 24% year on year, long-term fund accounts surged 183%, and overseas trader accounts rose 40%. Overseas trader equity climbed about 60% from end-2025 to a record high. The expansion reflects growing derivative tools and corporate hedging demand.
Total funds in China's futures market reached RMB 2.64 trillion as of the end of July 2026, up 23% from the end of 2025, while client equity at futures companies totaled RMB 2.49 trillion, an increase of 24%. The number of effective clients stood at 3.143 million. Data released on August 24 by the China Futures Market Monitoring Center showed steady growth in both market fund scale and client equity.
The share of client equity held by institutional clients rose to 73%, continuing an upward trend since 2024. In the first seven months of 2026, the number of unit client accounts opened increased by 24% year on year; accounts opened by long-term funds such as insurance, social security, and annuity funds surged 183%; and accounts opened by overseas traders rose 40%. The simultaneous expansion of industrial participants, professional institutions, long-term capital, and overseas traders points to a more diversified market participation structure.
Overseas trader equity grew about 60% from the end of 2025, reaching a record high. In April 2026, treasury bond futures were opened to qualified foreign investors, further enriching the interest-rate risk management tools available to overseas institutions. The growth in total futures market funds and client equity is linked to the increasing variety of derivative instruments and the release of risk management demand from real-economy enterprises.