Hong Kong’s insurance boom risks cooling as regulators curb mainland China fund flows
Insurers brace for impact from stricter cross-border rules, with the Insurance Authority stepping up oversight of mainland visitor purchases
A spokeswoman for the Insurance Authority said the regulator was closely monitoring cross-border sales. “The Insurance Authority has been maintaining close communication with relevant mainland authorities on various regulatory matters, including issues relating to non-compliant cross-boundary sales activities,” she said in a statement to the South China Morning Post on Friday.
On May 22, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) instructed banks to require prospective customers to declare that funds used in investment accounts had originated outside mainland China.
The move is part of Beijing’s broader campaign to strengthen oversight of capital flows as it looks to redirect funding back to its domestic stock market.
“These new control measures are expected to have an impact on the local insurance sector, which has relied heavily on mainland visitors to buy policies in recent years,” said Tom Chan Pak-lam, honorary president of the Institute of Securities Dealers.