By Selena Li
HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong will launch a scheme to facilitate listings of tech companies on the stock exchange, the latest move to boost the appeal of the fundraising hub amid growing appetite among Chinese companies to raise funds offshore.
Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) will establish a dedicated “technology enterprises channel”, Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Wednesday.
The channel will facilitate specialist technology and biotechnology companies’ listings in Hong Kong, particularly those already listed in the mainland, Chan said while delivering his 2025-26 budget.
The market’s watchdog Securities and Futures Commission is working with the exchange to enable a smoother application process, he added.
The scheme will focus on helping to address issuers’ questions in the pre-application period, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services Christopher Hui told a press conference.
If companies want to consult on major listing issues, the scheme will offer them more flexibility, he added.
The development shows Hong Kong is moving to attract more quality companies, with lower thresholds and more flexibility on eligibility, in line with other recognised stock exchanges worldwide, said Billy Au, Partner at law firm JSM.
Chinese companies, mainly those in the tech sector, are accelerating plans to raise funds offshore, tapping into a rebound in investor sentiment fuelled by hopes of Beijing’s support for private firms and the popularity of DeepSeek.
Regulators in mainland China and Hong Kong have told some of the world’s biggest investment banks to speed up Chinese companies’ listings in the city, Reuters reported in December citing sources.
Exchange officials urged bankers in October to identify bottlenecks in the listing application process of Chinese firms, sources said at that time.
The city bourse reports its full year earnings on Thursday.
(Reporting by Selena Li in Hong Kong, additional reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry and Christina Fincher)
