HKEX CEO: 2026 Hong Kong IPO Proceeds Hit $41 Billion, Exceed Last Year; Urges Malaysian Listings

By early August 2026, Hong Kong's initial public offering (IPO) proceeds had reached US$41 billion, exceeding the US$39.5 billion raised in all of 2025. HKEX Chief Executive Chen Yiting revealed the figure at an event in Kuala Lumpur, noting that 2026 proceeds had already surpassed the full-year total for 2025. In 2025, Hong Kong raised US$39.5 billion from 120 IPOs, ranking first globally as a listing venue.

In March 2026, HKEX and Bursa Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding, followed by a similar agreement between the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission and the Securities Commission Malaysia. HKEX also recognized Bursa Malaysia as a "recognized stock exchange," paving the way for Malaysian companies to list in Hong Kong. Malaysia supported 60 IPOs in 2025, the most in two decades.

Chen noted that global capital is flowing back to Asia. Capital had previously been heavily concentrated in the U. S. market, but investors now recognize the need to diversify risk amid political and macroeconomic changes. The market once assumed that a China business was necessary for a Hong Kong listing, but that view has shifted. In 2025, a Dubai-based diaper company focused on Africa and Latin America listed in Hong Kong; a few months ago, Indonesian gold miner Modecta completed an IPO in Hong Kong. Neither company has any revenue from China.