The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), China's top securities regulator, granted Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) licences to four foreign institutional investors and three Taiwanese money managers in the first half of this year, Reuters reported.

The foreign investors include Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali SpA, French money manager Lyxor Asset Management, Spanish lender Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria and French asset manager Comgest, the regulator said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.

The three Taiwanese institutions that have been granted QFII licences in the first half include Cathay Securities Investment Trust Co, Polaris International Securities Investment Co and Fuh Hwa Securities Investment Trust Co.  

That brings the total number of QFIIs to 113, Reuters said.

Overseas investors are eager to invest in China's strictly regulated capital markets through the QFII scheme, hoping to benefit from China's appreciating currency and rapid economic growth, the report said.

QFII funds, which convert hard currencies into the Chinese yuan to buy mainland stocks and bonds, posted a negative return of 3.37 percent on average during the first half, compared with a loss of 6.36 percent for domestic funds, according to Thomson Reuters Lipper.

QFII investors need to obtain investment quotas from China's foreign currency regulator before they can start buying Chinese securities.