Last year saw a fivefold surge in the number of companies that established buyout funds in China, and already this year another 125 companies have launched funds of this kind, according to new figures published in Securities Daily.

In 2015, 365 listed companies launched their own buyout funds, compared with just 71 in the previous year.

Thirty companies have launched the funds since the start of March, with investments focused on hot sectors like healthcare, environmental protection, graphene materials, culture and sports, and advanced manufacturing investment.