The predecessor of the company was founded on 25 August 1972 in Hong Kong as Intercontinental Housing Development Limited, renamed IHD Holdings in 1987.

On 18 July 1997, the business inherited from IHD was ended, the company was renamed China Everbright Limited, the current name.

[4] In 2003, SeaBright Asset Management Limited was founded, a joint venture with Seagate Global Advisors (Chinese: 海基資產管理有限公司).

[4] In 2000s Everbright Limited acted as a sponsor[5] in number of firm listings in Hong Kong Stock Exchange, for example, Zijin Mining in 2003.

[6] China Everbright Group has been involved in numerous scandals lately, including a Ponzi scheme exposed in 2024.