China Finance Online and Orient Securities Form Strategic Partnership to Introduce Investor Education Services

BEIJING, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- China Finance Online Co. Limited ("China Finance Online", or the "Company", "we", "us" or "our") (NASDAQ GS: JRJC), a leading web-based financial services company that provides Chinese retail investors with online access to securities trading services, wealth management products, investment advisory services, as well as financial database and analytics services to institutional customers, today announced its ceremonial signing of a strategic partnership agreement with Orient Securities Co., Ltd. ("Orient Securities") (HK.03958, SH.600958), a Top 10 leading brokerage firm in China according to Securities Association of China.

Pursuant to the strategic partnership agreement, China Finance Online will provide Orient Securities with a cloud-based investor education platform. On March 15, Orient Securities will introduce the online courses followed by a real-time question-and-answer session. The online courses will feature systematic learning materials for basics of investing. In addition, there will be rating program to track test scores. Through a series courses and Q&As, the platform aims to guide retail investors to develop rational wealth management mentality.

Ms. Haining Xu, managing director of Wealth Management at Orient Securities, commented, "Orient Securities strives to lead the wealth management industry with better innovations and an advanced business model. Through the partnership with China Finance Online, we are looking to not only help investors develop rational investment strategies, but also revolutionize the recruitment program for wealth management professionals."

"China Finance Online's capabilities in technology empowerment to brick-and-mortar financial institutions and track record in retail investor user engagement give us confidence that our partnership will create value for investors." Ms. Xu added.

Mr. Zhiwei Zhao, CEO and Chairman of China Finance Online commented, "For many years, most investor education programs in the marketplace failed to address the pain point of most retail investors' needs. Our machine learning program has researched the most common mistakes made by these investors and produced a novel online investor education resource that can be both engaging and inspiring. We look forward to further showcasing our fintech engineering capabilities with big data and artificial intelligence to power the wealth management sector in China."

About Orient Securities

Orient Securities, also known as DFZQ, is a Chinese financial institution headquartered in Shanghai with services in securities trading, futures, asset management, wealth management, investment banking, investment advisory, and equity research. Orient Securities is a constituent of SSE 50 Index, the blue-chip index of Shanghai Stock Exchange. Orient Securities is listed on both the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

About China Finance Online

China Finance Online Co. Limited is a leading web-based financial services company that provides Chinese retail investors with online access to securities trading services, wealth management products, securities investment advisory services, as well as financial database and analytics services to institutional customers. The Company's prominent flagship portal site, www.jrj.com, is ranked among the top financial websites in China. In addition to the web-based securities trading platform, the Company offers basic financial software, information services and securities investment advisory services to retail investors in China. Through its subsidiary, Shenzhen Genius Information Technology Co. Ltd., the Company provides financial database and analytics to institutional customers including domestic financial, research, academic and regulatory institutions. China Finance Online also provides brokerage services in Hong Kong.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements which constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements contained herein reflect management's current views with respect to future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, this release contains the following forward-looking statements regarding:

our prospect and our ability to attract new users;

our prospect on building a comprehensive wealth management ecosystem through providing a fully-integrated online communication and securities-trading platform;

our prospect on stabilization in cash attrition and improvement of our financial position;

our initiatives to address customers' demand for intuitive online investment platforms and alternative investment opportunities; and

the market prospect of the business of securities-trading, securities investment advisory and wealth management.

Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, which risk factors and uncertainties include, amongst others, changing customer needs, regulatory environment and market conditions that we are subject to; the uneven condition of the world and Chinese economies that could lead to volatility in the equity markets and affect our operating results in the coming quarters; the impact of the changing conditions of the mainland Chinese stock market, mainland Chinese precious metals exchanges, Hong Kong stock market and global financial markets on our future performance; the unpredictability of our strategic transformation and growth of new businesses; the prospect of our margin-related business and the degree to which our implementation of margin account screening and ongoing monitoring will yield successful outcomes; the degree to which our strategic collaborations with partners will yield successful outcomes; the prospects for China's high-net-worth and middle-class households; the prospects of equipping our customer specialists with new technology, tools and financial knowledge; wavering investor confidence that could impact our business; and possible non-cash goodwill, intangible assets and investment impairments may adversely affect our net income. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F under "Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors". The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

China Finance Online
+86-10-8336-3100
[email protected]

Kevin Theiss
(212) 521-4050
[email protected]

SOURCE China Finance Online Co., Ltd.