Exclusive | HKEX to connect Asian start-ups with worldwide investors as exchange marks silver jubilee

As HKEX turns 25, the exchange eyes promoting cross-border listings, fixed income and yuan products in its next chapter, chairman says

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Interview with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) chairman Carlson Tong Ka-shing in Central on June 11, 2025. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 7:30am, 14 Jun 2025Updated: 12:24pm, 14 Jun 2025

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) will broaden its role to connect companies across Asia with global capital through secondary listings in the city, the bourse operator’s chairman said.

HKEX is already linked with 20 of the world’s stock exchanges through mutual recognition agreements, a technical accreditation that lets companies listed in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi sell additional shares in Hong Kong.

“There is certainly interest among Asian companies to tap [global and mainland Chinese] funds in Hong Kong, indicating that Hong Kong can be a major regional connector [besides] its core position connecting China with the world,” Carlson Tong Ka-shing said in an interview this week after attending the World Federation of Exchanges board meeting in Singapore.

Two Singapore-based companies listed in Hong Kong this year, while a Thai coconut-water producer based in the Lion City is also in the queue to raise funds in Hong Kong.

Carlson Tong Ka-shing, chairman of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), during an interview on June 11, 2025. Photo: Edmond So

The rush to list had pushed HKEX’s main board to the top of the world’s league table for initial public offerings (IPOs), with 27 companies raising US$9.96 billion in the first five months of this year, seven times last year’s total. The outlook was strong, with over 160 companies waiting to list in the city, Tong said.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Exclusive | HKEX to connect Asian start-ups with worldwide investors as exchange marks silver jubilee

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As HKEX turns 25, the exchange eyes promoting cross-border listings, fixed income and yuan products in its next chapter, chairman says

Exclusive | HKEX to connect Asian start-ups with worldwide investors as exchange marks silver jubilee

As HKEX turns 25, the exchange eyes promoting cross-border listings, fixed income and yuan products in its next chapter, chairman says