CENTRAL

CENTRAL Broker Profile – An Overview

Introduction

To ensure the optimised execution of trades within these volatile financial markets, it is vital that you select a regulated and reputable Brokerage. CENTRAL is a Financial Service Provider (FSP) and acts as an intermediary Brokerage for retail and institutional clients throughout Asia and the rest of the World. Based in Hong Kong (the Financial Heart of Asia), CENTRAL is part of Central China International Financial Holdings Co. Ltd., providing you access to the regional and foreign security financial streams along with Institutional Services and expertise in cross-border trading.

CENTRAL’s focus is on providing retail and institutional investors with Brokerage services in the following categories:

- Securities (equity) Brokerage

- Margin Financing

- Research

- Corporate Finance

In this article, we will detail the:

1. The History of CENTRAL and its Parent Company

2. CENTRAL's Regulatory Standing

3. Trading Conditions Offered by CENTRAL

4. Fees/Charges

5. Recent Developments and Future Plans for CENTRAL

Company Profile and History

Please note that Central China International Financial Holdings, as CENTRAL is commonly referred to, is the brokerage and the FSP that assists Central China International Financial Holdings and its clients. CENTRAL is part of the Greater Central China Financial Group (comprising Central China Securities Co., Ltd., which was established on March 25, 2015), which strengthens the Market Position and Market Integrity of CENTRAL, as it operates within the Global Capital Market.

Additionally, as an FSP within the Greater Central China Financial Group, CENTRAL provides you with access to Cross-Border Financial Services and many Capital Markets, including Hong Kong (HK) and the United States (US).Major Features And Services

CENTRAL provides many services as part of professional financial services, including:

Securities brokerage service

Margin financing

Advisory services on corporate finance

Market research reports

From its published fee schedule and trading notifications, CENTRAL enables retail investors to trade on the HK SAFE and US stock exchanges. While the broker has not publicly disclosed specific account types or instruments that are offered to clients, the broker's range of services indicates a focus on providing institutional grade/professional brokerage services.

Regulatory Status & Compliance

The existence of a regulatory entity is a fundamental concern for all investors. CENTRAL is reported to be an operating entity registered under the regulation of the HK SFC but does not disclose any specific license number on its website for investors. However, the parent company of Central China Securities Co., Ltd. is reported to be regulated in mainland China by the CSRC and provides an additional layer of protection and assurance of compliance to the CENTRAL Group.

Regulatory Summary

Product/Entity Regulatory Body License Number Current Registration

(community) Not Available Not Available (assumed to be under regulatory)

Central China Securities Co., Ltd. CSRC Registered with CSRC Active

Trading Environments & Platforms

The broker's extent of trading conditions is not publicly available at this time. CENTRAL does not publish specific trading conditions; however, it does provide traders with operational and fee information.Trading Terms Overview

Trading Terms Description

Spreads Not publicly accessible

Leverage Level Not publicly accessible

Minimum Deposit Not publicly accessible

Commissions and Expenses Expense notices posted; specific amounts not publicly disclosed

Trading Platform Unspecific regarding public site

While the public site does not contain specific names of platforms and/or technical specifications, the availability of research papers and notifications indicates that Central digitally has a working infrastructure for clients.

Expense Structure

CENTRAL subsequently continues to post notifications concerning trading expenses for US listed stocks as well as HKEX changes to trading/settlement fees. However, no complete public fee schedule is published on the CENTRAL website.

Overview of Costs

Cost Type Description

Depository Cost Not publicly accessible

Withdrawal Costs Not publicly accessible

Commission Central notices published; however, exact dollar amount not publicly accessible

Inactive Account Costs Not publicly accessible

Various Fees Not publicly accessible

Investors should refer to detailed expense terms during their initial account opening, or contact their broker for clarification.

User Feedback and Industry Perception

The CENTRAL webpage continues the theme of corporate documents, research publications, and company-specific announcements. No published customer feedback or ratings or testimonials are available, making user response hard to evaluate.

It appears clear that due to CENTRAL's connection with a major financial institution as well as due to continued presence in the competitive market of brokerage firms in Hong Kong, CENTRAL firmly appears to prioritize and provide both the regulatory compliance and the highest standards for customer service. However, there are limited independent feedback compared to other brokerage options.

Recent Updates and Announcements

CENTRAL continues to distribute business communications to their clients including:

HKEX trading and settlement fees to take effect in mid-2025

Warnings concerning impersonation and fraud regarding CENTRAL

Update of changes to US-listed stock trading fee structure

Warnings regarding changes to benchmark lending rates throughout all of 2024

These announcements should demonstrate to clients CENTRAL is committed to being both transparent to clients with regard to operational clarity and to client security and consumer protections.

In summary, CENTRAL is a Hong Kong based brokerage/financial services firm and is owned and backed by the well-established Central China group. CENTRAL provides clients with access to US and HK markets through margin funding and standard research/Corporate Finance Advisory Services.

Although detailed and complete publicly available information regarding Trading Platforms, Expenses, and Unspecified Trading Account Conditions are scarce; the professional ethics exhibited by CENTRAL through posting of regulatory compliance and continuing newsletters/news announcements for clients demonstrate it is a credible alternative for investors that prefer to deal with a stable operating brokerage firm with an institutional-backed focus on the analyst and US-securities marketplace. However, it is likely that prospective clients will ultimately need to directly communicate with the CENTRAL brokerage firm to obtain the complete scope of the firm's operations and pricing.