Chinese corporate data provider Qichacha to launch overseas platform after Beijing approval amid regulatory easing
- Qichacha said its new platform is the first to receive approval by the Cyberspace Administration of China and will launch soon in multiple countries
- Beijing has been easing cross-border data rules that restricted access to information important to investors, in an appeal to foreign business
Qichacha, one of China’s biggest corporate database operators, said that it has passed a data export security assessment that allows it to launch a new platform for overseas users, a step in Beijing’s bid to attract back foreign business by easing its stringent rules on cross-border data.
Having passed the Cyberspace Administration of China’s (CAC) data export security assessment on Thursday, Qichacha’s new overseas platform is the first business database to receive approval by the regulator, the company said in a statement on Friday.
The 9-year-old firm, which boasts 400 million users, will soon launch the platform in multiple countries and regions, starting with enterprise users in Singapore and Hong Kong, Qichacha said.
Services like Qichacha aim to give users comprehensive, up-to-date information about millions of business entities, including addresses, contacts, ownership structures and legal cases, helping investors make informed decisions.
The international version of Qichacha will offer the same types of data as its domestic platform, Qichacha said.
China’s major corporate data providers – including Qichacha, rival Tianyancha and financial data terminal operator Wind – stopped allowing users outside the mainland to access certain information earlier this year, following tough rules put in place by the country’s new data security and anti-espionage laws.
