Initial public offerings trickle back to Hong Kong’s stock market as city maintains resilience as fundraising hub amid protests
- As many as 16 companies applied to raise funds on the local bourse in the first three weeks of September
- The number of active applications rose by 7 per cent to 231 in the year to date
Initial public offerings (IPOs) are returning to Hong Kong, as valuations have bottomed out after a dismal summer disrupted by the worst political crisis in the city’s history, underscoring the resilience of Asia’s financial hub as the go-to option for fundraising, said one of the largest local brokers.
As many as 16 companies applied to raise funds on the local bourse in the first three weeks of September, increasing the number of active applications by 7 per cent to 231 in the year to date, according to data by the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), the market operator. They are open to launch their IPOs, pending approvals by the HKEX.
“Many clients are returning to the market in September after a quiet summer,” said Kenneth Ho Shiu-pong, the equity market managing director at Haitong International Securities Company, which arranged 37 IPOs worth US$1.59 billion last year, and underwrote 28 fundraising deals valued at US$704.77 million this year. “Hong Kong remains the top fundraising destination for mainland Chinese and Asian companies that want to capture the international investors.”
“Hong Kong remains the top destination for IPOs, based on its strong fundamentals, despite a number of uncertainties affecting the market’s sentiment, and some IPO applicants adopting a more cautious, wait-and-see approach to proceed with their listings,” said KPMG China’s head of capital markets Paul Lau.
