Shanghai, the Chinese mainland's best candidate to become an international financial center, is mapping out plans to revitalize the domestic financial market by giving private capital better access via a series of pilot programs.

One such endeavor is the introduction of the financial brokers system to quench the funding thirst of small-cap firms while regulating the market, according to sources affiliated with the municipal government.

The idea of financial brokers derived from the sharp contrast between cash-strapped small-cap firms and an immense network of underground lenders that makes financing accessible, said Fan Yun, chairperson of Shanghai Fushen State Assets Evaluation Co Ltd.