How Shanghai Securities Keeps Trading Systems Running During COVID Lockdowns

Amid the pandemic, Shanghai’s bustling financial sector continued to operate despite the city’s lockdown, with securities firms maintaining critical trading systems.

Public data shows that 31 of China’s 140 securities companies are headquartered in Shanghai, with numerous branches spread across the city. On the eve of new nucleic‑acid testing in both Pudong and Puxi, network security engineers from several firms began overnight shifts to guard the systems.

"When we learned on March 27 at 9 pm that Pudong would start a new round of testing, we immediately redeployed staff to the backup data center to ensure system safety and normal operation," said Sun Yiwei, head of the Shanghai Securities IT headquarters.

The primary data center is located in Puxi, with a standby center in Pudong. Since March 16, the IT headquarters has activated an emergency plan, assigning staff to 24‑hour shifts with weekly rotations.

Currently, six personnel guard the Puxi center while one colleague remains on duty at the Pudong backup facility.

On the trading day of April 1, despite the lockdown in Puxi, six employees stayed in the data center to guarantee system stability.

Sun explained that the firm’s backend systems number around 130, making it impossible to operate solely with human effort; therefore, extensive AI and robotic automation tools were deployed to keep the information systems secure and stable.

Engineers typically work until 4:10 pm for Hong Kong‑linked markets, and after‑hours settlement tasks can extend to 10:30‑11 pm. During the pandemic, the six on‑site staff also provided virtual desktops for remote colleagues, often working up to 18 hours a day.

Engineer Zhang Ting has been stationed at the Pudong backup center continuously for 13 days since the night of March 27, ready to monitor the main center and switch operations if needed.

Because of personal health concerns, Zhang prepared a week’s supply of medication in advance; when his stock ran low, colleagues from the Puxi office delivered more via courier.

Debon Securities’ IT team also remained on‑site, supporting remote colleagues by providing virtual access and daily necessities such as meals and bedding.

During the lockdown, many securities branches closed and shifted their massive business volume online, generating a local revenue of 27.722 billion yuan.

Customer service teams moved to online channels, handling a surge of inquiries, assisting clients remotely, and even providing emotional support to anxious investors.

To ensure uninterrupted service on April 1, some customer‑service staff stayed in the office, converting meeting rooms into temporary dormitories and arranging daily supplies.