BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the country's top securities market regulator, has approved IPO applications from nine companies.

They will raise no more than 4.2 billion yuan (620 million U.S. dollars), the CSRC said in a statement.

Four companies will be listed on the Shanghai stock exchange, one on the Shenzhen small and medium enterprise board, and four on the ChiNext, China's NASDAQ-style board.

The firms and their underwriters will confirm IPO dates and publish prospectuses following discussions with the exchanges.

Under the current IPO system, new shares are subject to approval from the CSRC. China is gradually switching from an approval-based IPO system to a more market-oriented one based on registration.