Curated items for this range are still being collected. Below, read the related updates already included; items meeting the curation standard will be marked separately.
The two-day 2026 APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting has opened in Hong Kong, marking the first time the city has hosted the event, with a focus on regional economic and financial cooperation. At the opening ceremony, Finance Minister Lan Fo'an called on member economies to strengthen macroeconomic policy dialogue, guard against negative spillover effects from policy adjustments, and seize opportunities from digitalization and green transition to foster new growth drivers. Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR, said Hong Kong will leverage its unique advantages under "One Country, Two Systems" and play its role as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" as an international financial center, helping the region achieve resilient, sustainable and inclusive growth.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan concluded his visit to Bangkok, Thailand. During the visit, he met with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, where the two sides exchanged views on strengthening Hong Kong-Thailand economic, trade, and financial cooperation, aligning Thai foreign direct investment with Hong Kong's capital markets, promoting regulatory cooperation between the two securities markets, and facilitating dual primary listings of enterprises. Paul Chan also met with senior executives of a major French bank with extensive operations in Hong Kong, discussing developments in fixed income and currency markets, green and sustainable finance, tokenized financial products, and asset management. He then departed for Hong Kong.
HKEX released the consultation conclusions on "Accelerating Settlement in Hong Kong's Cash Market", confirming broad market support for shortening the securities settlement cycle from T+2 to T+1, with implementation targeted for the second half of 2028. The specific date will be announced subject to regulatory approval and market readiness.
The Hong Kong SAR Government published the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Deduction for Intellectual Property Expenditure) Bill 2026 in the Gazette on October 16, relaxing tax deduction arrangements for relevant capital expenditures incurred by enterprises in acquiring eligible intellectual property or obtaining licenses to use it.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan, as a member of the Chinese delegation, attended the plenary meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meetings held in Bangkok, Thailand. During related exchange events, he introduced the development direction of Hong Kong's first five-year plan aligned with the national 15th Five-Year Plan, mentioning that Hong Kong will focus on building the Four Centres and One Hub, deepen the Finance+ strategy, expand offshore RMB business, and meet with executives of the World Bank Group and management of major European digital banks.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan, as a member of the Chinese delegation, attended the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group held in Bangkok, Thailand, and participated in a roundtable co-hosted by the International Monetary Fund and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. He introduced Hong Kong's investment and financing market advantages at the meeting and invited international multilateral organizations, financial institutions, and insurance companies to cooperate to improve capital raising and risk management efficiency. Paul Chan also met with the Chinese Ambassador to Thailand and senior executives of the International Finance Corporation in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss deepening cooperation in multiple fields.
The Chief Executive in Council made six orders on October 6, 2026, under the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) to implement comprehensive avoidance of double taxation agreements signed with Barbados, Jordan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Maldives, Norway, and Rwanda. The orders were published in the Gazette on October 16, 2026, and tabled before the Legislative Council on October 21 under the negative vetting procedure.
HKEX announced that its Core Climate platform has completed two cross-border pilots for green electricity certificates and Shenzhen emissions rights. 15 enterprises participated in the green electricity certificate pilot, with a total trading volume of approximately 100,000 certificates. HKEX also signed a cooperation agreement with the Guangzhou Power Exchange Center to establish a cross-border green electricity certificate trading channel, promoting connectivity of green markets in the Greater Bay Area.
The Chongqing-Hong Kong Cross-Border Data Verification Platform, facilitated by the HKMA, was officially launched. The platform leverages blockchain technology and hash values to verify customer data without the need for cross-border transmission or storage of original documents. Initially, the platform primarily supports cross-border financial scenarios, with banks in Chongqing and Hong Kong advancing applications related to northbound and southbound data flow verification, covering services such as account opening and loan applications.
HKEX and S&P Dow Jones Indices have partnered to launch the S&P 500 and HKEX TECH 100 Index, which was published on September 30, 2026, with approximately 60% weight allocated to the HKEX TECH 100 Index and 40% to the S&P 500, rebalanced quarterly. The index aims to measure the performance of leading US listed companies and large Hong Kong-listed technology companies, supporting ETFs tracking the index to be included in the Southbound Stock Connect, providing investors with cross-market allocation channels.
HKMA Chief Executive Eddie Yue delivered opening remarks at the 16th Annual International Conference on the Chinese Economy, centered on the theme "Beyond the Cycle: Growth, Innovation, and Resilience in the Chinese Economy." He noted that the core of China's long-term sustainable economic growth lies in technological innovation, structural upgrading, and boosting domestic demand. China is accelerating its shift toward a high-quality development model, replacing its traditional reliance on infrastructure and real estate with advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and green and digital industries.
InvestHK announced on October 5, 2026 that Kyrgyzstan commercial bank Bakai Bank has been granted a Hong Kong banking licence by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, becoming the first Central Asian bank to enter the Asia-Pacific region. The bank will establish a restricted-licence bank in Hong Kong under the name Bakai Bank Open Joint-Stock Company (Hong Kong Branch), serving the trade, investment and capital needs of the Central Asia–Asia-Pacific economic corridor. InvestHK will continue to assist the bank in exploring sustainable development financing and RMB-denominated financing business.
