Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words Artificial intelligence in 2026 is moving from a passive tool to an active partner. Big tech companies are throwing more money at capex to stand out in the AI race. Meanwhile, tech firms are raising funds to make technological breakthroughs and solidify their competitive edge. This is especially true of domestic tech companies, which are determined to bridge the technological divide between the leading regions amid tech restrictions.
The
revival of Hong Kong’s initial public offering (IPO) market and reduced listing requirements for specific pre-commercial tech companies have offered pre-profit mainland Chinese AI and tech start-ups the chance to raise money in the Hong Kong stock market.
Multiple start-ups, such as generative AI company
MiniMax, have gone public in Hong Kong. Some of them have become the market darlings, attracting large IPO oversubscriptions and performing strongly in the market. In the case of some newly listed tech companies, investors are willing to put money towards further rounds of equity fundraising.
However, Hong Kong-listed pre-profit tech companies have difficulties tapping money from mainland China. The Stock Connect schemes
do not support IPOs. I have noticed that many mainland investors who wish to subscribe to a tech start-up IPO in Hong Kong are having difficulty transferring money to Hong Kong for this purpose.
Meanwhile, to my knowledge, only a few exceptional companies have met the requirements for the fast-entry mechanisms of the Stock Connect scheme. High-value tech companies have to wait for months before inclusion in the Hang Seng Stock Connect Hong Kong Index.
