Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Hong Kong rises to fourth place in global financial centre rankings

Hong Kong rises to fourth place in global financial centre rankings

Hong Kong rose two places in this year’s Global Financial Centres Index, but is yet to fully recover from the impact of the social unrest in 2019, study shows.

Hong Kong improved its standing among global financial centres in a newly released study, thanks to the popularity of its stock market and many cross-border trading schemes with mainland China, officials said.

Hong Kong ranked fourth in the 29th edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) report, which is published by City of London’s think tank Z/Yen Group in partnership with the Shenzhen-based research firm China Development Institute. New York maintained its top spot, followed by London and Shanghai.

Singapore came in fifth and Beijing sixth. Tokyo dropped three places from fourth to seventh.

“We are encouraged by the fact that Hong Kong has consistently been ranked among the top financial centres in the world since Global Financial Centres Index’s debut in 2007,” said Laurence Li Lu-jen, chairman of Financial Services Development Council, a Hong Kong government-funded body tasked with promoting the sector.

Laurence Li Lu-jen, chairman of Financial Services Development Council.


Li credited Hong Kong’s rise in the latest index to market participants who believe in the hub’s “strong connectivity with mainland China
and other Asian markets, its business-friendly environment with sound legal and regulatory framework as well as ease of doing business and its efficient financial infrastructure.”

The city fell three places to the sixth in March 2020 as business sentiment was affected by the months-long anti-government protests triggered by the now-withdrawn extradition bill in June 2019. It was ranked fifth in September 2020.

The ranking, released twice a year in March and September, is based on a global online survey of over 10,774 respondents, who evaluate 126 cities on five areas of competitiveness.

While Hong Kong ranked fourth in terms of business environment, human capital, infrastructure and reputation, it ranked fifth in financial sector development, said Mike Wardle, director and head of indices of Z/Yen Group, one of the authors of the report.

“The achievement for Hong Kong is that it is firmly established among the leading world financial centres in a very competitive system. We expect this to continue to be the case going forward,” Wardle said.

Hong Kong’s main board ranked second last year after Nasdaq, with companies raising over US$50 billion from IPOs, a year-on-year jump of 27 per cent. The city carried out a listing reform in 2018 to allow tech companies with weighted voting rights and pre-revenue biotech firms to list.

“Hong Kong’s financial markets have indeed performed very well over the last year,” Christopher Hui Ching-yu, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury told a webinar on Wednesday, where he was joined by the authors of the report. “Despite challenges and uncertainties presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, our markets demonstrated resilience and robust performance in terms of IPO funds raised and trading volume.”

“Not only is Hong Kong a preferred international fundraising platform now, but it is also the world’s second largest fundraising hub for biotech companies,” Hui said.

A total of 43 companies have raised a combined US$54 billion under the new listing regime. This includes Alibaba Group Holding, the owner of this newspaper, which raised US$12.9 billion from its secondary listing in November 2019.

The trend continues this year with search engine Baidu launching a secondary share sale this week.

Hui said the stock exchange plans to conduct a study to expand the listing reform to allow more US-listed Chinese companies to qualify for secondary listings and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), also known as the blank cheque companies, to list here.

Other proposals currently under consideration include cross-border trading schemes such as the ETF connect, wealth management connect and the south bound link of the bond connect.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×