Core Viewpoint - In 2025, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) became a central theme in the capital market, driven by policy relaxation and market demand, leading to significant growth in both the number and scale of M&A transactions and IPOs [1][20]. Mergers and Acquisitions - A total of 2,377 M&A events were disclosed by A-share listed companies in 2025, compared to 2,729 in the previous year, with 71 major restructuring events, up from 52 [1][10]. - The "M&A Six Guidelines" and the revised "Major Asset Restructuring Management Measures" released in 2024 and 2025 respectively, have significantly boosted the M&A market by innovating review processes and payment methods [9][29]. - The sectors with the highest number of M&A announcements included machinery, electronic equipment, and basic chemicals, indicating a trend towards cross-industry mergers [12][14]. Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) - In 2025, A-share IPOs raised a total of 120.5 billion yuan, marking a 96.56% increase year-on-year, with 104 companies going public, a 10.64% increase from the previous year [4][24]. - The Shanghai Stock Exchange's main board led with 42.22 billion yuan raised, followed by the Sci-Tech Innovation Board and the Growth Enterprise Market [5][25]. - The semiconductor and semiconductor equipment sector topped the fundraising list with 22.05 billion yuan, highlighting the strong support for hard technology industries [6][25]. Policy Environment - The new "National Nine Articles" emphasized the quality of listed companies, leading to stricter IPO reviews focused on sustainable operations and technological innovation [4][24]. - Local governments have introduced specific policies to support M&A activities, with some regions offering substantial subsidies to encourage market participation [10][14]. Market Trends - The IPO and M&A markets are seen as complementary, with IPOs ensuring the quality of new listings while M&A provides existing companies with avenues for rapid growth and transformation [3][22]. - The average fundraising amount for A-share IPOs was 1.16 billion yuan, with a significant portion of companies raising between 0-1 billion yuan, indicating that small and medium enterprises remain the backbone of the IPO market [7][26]. - The Hong Kong IPO market also experienced a strong recovery, with 102 new listings raising over 272.48 billion yuan, a 226.62% increase from the previous year, making it the top global IPO market [8][27].

Asia Quantitative Strategy China Next Winners: Repeating the Alpha Playbook Rupal Agarwal +65 6326 7641 rupal.agarwal@bernsteinsg.com Cheng Zhang, CFA, CQF +852 2123 2636 cheng.zhang@bernsteinsg.com This report is part of a series on China Next Winners in which we identify the next generation of industries and corporate winners in China. We present an alpha playbook deriving systematic insights from the past for the future. Five-year plan, a useful guide: In the run-up to the 15th five-year plan to be annou ...