Citic Securities, China's largest publicly traded brokerage, hopes to secure in August approval from the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong for its roughly $2 billion IPO there, International Financing Review (IFR), a Thomson Reuters publication, reported.

Citic Securities submitted its listing application to the stock exchange last week, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified sources.

IFR said the Chinese brokerage was hoping to secure the approval on August 18.

"In order to draw demand amid the prevailing volatile market conditions, the Shanghai-listed securities house has invited foreign banks to pitch for its proposed Hong Kong float (by Friday)," IFR reported late on Wednesday, citing sources.

Citic Securities has already hired a number of Chinese banks to handle its IPO, IFR said.

Citic Securities International, CCB International and ICBC International are joint sponsors of the deal, it said.

The three banks are also joint bookrunners with BOC International and BoCom International, according to IFR.

Citic Securities had said it would sell up to 10 percent of its enlarged share capital, or about 1.105 billion shares in the Hong Kong offering.

Haitong Securities , China's second-biggest listed brokerage, was also planning a Hong Kong IPO.

Haitong had mandated at least five banks on the planned $2 billion offering, IFR reported in May.

Credit Suisse Group AG, Deutsche Bank AG and JP Morgan Chase & Co have been picked as joint global coordinators, and as joint bookrunners with Citigroup Inc and UBS AG, according to IFR.