Hong Kong

Capital / Liquidity

SFC Offers Additional Guidance on New Margin Financing Rules

By Editors | 02/10/2019

New FAQs make clear that deviations from the new rules after 4 October will not automatically be seen as noncompliance or result in disciplinary action.

Securities / Derivatives

Hong Kong to Regulate Fund Trustees, Custodians

By Editors | 30/09/2019

Fund trustees and custodians in Hong Kong are not subject to any licensing regime or ongoing supervision. The SFC proposes to regulate them under a new type of regulated activity, RA 13.

Capital / Liquidity

SFC to Push Ahead with New Cap on Margin Financing

By Editors | 30/09/2019

From 4 October, margin loans will be capped at five times capital, despite appeals from brokerage firms to postpone the new rules by one year.

Securities / Derivatives

HKMA Updates Rules on Sales of Banking Products

By Manesh Samtani | 27/09/2019

Banks may not sell investment, insurance and MPF products in areas that are used for deposit-taking activities, and the face-to-face sales process must be audio-recorded.

Securities / Derivatives

Civil Unrest Forces Brokers to Exit Hong Kong Market

By Editors | 24/09/2019

Since the Hong Kong protests began in June, ten brokerage firms have reportedly exited the market amid lower turnover and shrinking commission revenues.

Market Infrastructure

HKEX Enlists Investment Banks to Help with LSEG Bid

By Editors | 24/09/2019

HKEX has reportedly brought in UBS, Credit Suisse and HSBC to help it engage with LSEG shareholders and provide advice on its recently-rejected bid to takeover the London bourse.

Securities / Derivatives

SFC Imposes Lifetime Ban on Former BoCom Banker

By Editors | 24/09/2019

The ban follows an August 2018 conviction, where the former banker was found guilty of soliciting illegal commission payments from a client for stock trading profits.

Market Infrastructure

Experts Bemoan Hong Kong’s Slow Green Finance Reform

By AsianInvestor | 24/09/2019

The city’s regulator and central bank must introduce guidance and rules more aggressively if they want to show that Hong Kong is committed to green finance, say industry participants.

Securities / Derivatives

BIS Survey Reveals Rising Significance of Asian FX Hubs

By Manesh Samtani | 18/09/2019

Sales desks in China, Hong Kong and Singapore all recorded rises in FX trading activity compared to three years earlier. The UK increased its dominance despite Brexit fears.