Growth agenda: Hong Kong vows stronger exchange with reforms, bond futures and gold push Hong Kong is pressing ahead with an overhaul of listing rules and the launch of new product initiatives, the city’s deputy finance chief said on Friday as the bourse operator marked 26 years as a publicly traded company. Speaking at the anniversary ceremony of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun outlined reforms under review, including optimising weighted voting rights, easing secondary listings by overseas issuers, and expanding flexibility for biotech and specialist technology companies. “We will continue to work tirelessly and proactively to make Hong Kong even better and stronger as a leading international financial centre,” Wong said. The consultation period closed last month, and HKEX was now reviewing feedback before finalising the measures, he added. Wong also welcomed the forthcoming launch of five-year mainland Chinese government bond futures, saying the contract would provide efficient risk-management tools and reinforce Hong Kong’s role as the world’s leading offshore renminbi hub. He said Hong Kong was building a commodities ecosystem, using gold as a strategic entry point, with plans for expanded storage and refinery capacity and the reactivation of a US dollar gold futures contract. The ceremony, attended by senior government officials, regulators, and market participants, began with a gong strike by Wong alongside HKEX chairman Carlson Tong Ka-shing and CEO Bonnie Chan Yiting. HKEX was listed on June 27, 2000, following the merger of a stock exchange, a futures exchange and three clearing houses. Hong Kong’s stock exchange was on track to raise more than HK$200 billion (US$25.5 billion) from initial public offerings in the first half of 2026 – more than 90 per cent above the same period last year, Wong said. Mainland companies account for the bulk of market value, with 1,603 firms representing more than 78 per cent of the total. Southbound trading through the Stock Connect – the cross-border programme linking Hong Kong and mainland investors – averaged HK$134 billion a day in May, according to HKEX data. Wong said HKEX was also deepening partnerships with the Shanghai Futures Exchange and the Guangzhou Futures Exchange to explore collaboration opportunities in key commodities. He pointed to broader economic strength, citing gross domestic product growth of 5.9 per cent year on year – the city’s best result in nearly five years – driven by broad-based gains in exports, retail sales and inbound tourism. “Never the best, only the better,” Wong said. “Despite our good performance, we will not be complacent.” https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3358546/growth-agenda-hong-kong-vows-stronger-exchange-reforms-bond-futures-and-gold-push?pgtype=live (ICE HONG KONG)

Fonte notizia: South China Morning Post