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HKEX revamps US$812m headquarters with new entrance, finance museum in Central

HKEX official says project aims to create ‘a future-ready, globally recognised hub’ and ‘more prominent branding in the heart of Central’

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HKEX celebrates 40 years of Hong Kong’s modern stock exchange with Cathay Pacific, with Cathay Group chairman Guy Bradley (left) and HKEX chairman Carlson Tong Ka-shing (right). Photo: Jonathan Wong
Enoch Yiu

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) will revamp its HK$6.3 billion (US$812 million) headquarters in June next year, as the bourse operator upgrades its facilities in a bid to boost its competitiveness as a leading initial public offerings market and a fixed-income and commodities trading hub.

The project aims to create “a future-ready, globally recognised hub in Hong Kong’s capital markets” and “more prominent branding in the heart of Central,” said Paul Chow Koon-ying, group chief sustainability officer at HKEX.

“We want to build a recognisable and permanent home here, a home which reflects our local roots and our global reach,” Chow said on Thursday. The bourse operator hosted a gong-striking ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the merger of four small local exchanges into the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, with Cathay Pacific Airways becoming its first listing in May 1986.
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The stock exchange later merged with the futures exchange and their related clearing houses to form HKEX in 2000. It has operated at Exchange Square in Central for decades by leasing the offices.
In April last year, however, it announced a plan to purchase its own headquarters from Hongkong Land for HK$6.3 billion, including the top nine office floors and some retail space.
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The projects include a new entrance and a grand reception area. There are also plans to renovate Connect Hall, which was previously the trading hall until 2017 but is now mainly used for conferences and gong-striking ceremonies for new listings.

“We want to improve our listing experience for our issuers and the guests – the arrival experience – so that when they come here and list with us, we will have more space for our issuers to greet their guests when they wait for that important gong-striking ceremony,” Chow said.

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