Nasdaq listings by companies in the Greater China region could double in 2-3 years, as mainland firms make up a larger percentage of all foreign listings, an executive from Nasdaq OMX Group said on Friday.

In two to three years, we will double the number of Chinese listings to 250, Robert McCooey, the head of global listings and a senior vice president, told Reuters in an interview in Beijing.

McCooey said he expected 125 listings from the Greater China area by the end of this year, adding he expected mainland firms as a percentage of total foreign listings to rise from about a third to a half within 3 years.

The Greater China region is Nasdaq's largest overseas market, with 119 listed companies, of which 100 are from the mainland, 14 from Hong Kong and Macao and another five from Taiwan.

($=6.83 yuan)

(Reporting by Kirby Chien and Kang Xize; Editing by Ken Wills)

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