The stock exchange has received nearly 30 applications for new listings so far this year as companies seek to cash in on the market's record-breaking run.
Deputy chief executive Herbert Hui Ho-ming said the listing division was processing nearly 30 A-1 forms - the first step towards a formal application for a listing.
'The large number of applications may be related to the fact it is the beginning of the year and the market is on a bull run,' he said.
He said in the next 40 days, five teams at the listing division would study each case to check that they qualified for a listing.
Of the 30 applicants, four or five were H-share companies, he said.
Listings in Hong Kong have been increasing steadily, with 49 companies coming to the market in 1996 compared with 26 in 1995.
