High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor QFII program is a Chinese program that was launched in 2002 to allow licensed foreign investors to buy and sell yuan-denominated "A" shares in China's mainland stock exchanges (in Shanghai and Shenzhen). Chinese mainland stock exchanges were previously closed off to foreign investors due to China's exercise of tight capital controls which restrict the movement of assets in-and-out of the country. As of February 2009, a total of 79 foreign institutional investors have been approved under the QFII program. Foreign access to China's yuan-denominated "A" stocks are still limited, with quotas placed under the QFII program amounting to US$30 billion. Regulations of the QFII program are based on "Temporary Regulation on Domestic Securities Investment by Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor", which is publicized on 5th Nov 2002 and ceased to be in effect on 1st Sep 2006, and "Regulation on Domestic Securities Investment by Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor", which is publicized on 24th Aug 2006, and came into effect on 1st Sep 2006.