Illustration: Liu Xidan/GT

Hong Kong's financial market can offer robust support to cutting-edge technology enterprises from the Chinese mainland, with more than 400 new-economy companies already listed in Hong Kong as of the end of last year, Paul Chan Mo-po, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said in a blog post on Sunday, noting that more frontier tech firms are expected to apply for stock listings in 2026.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index rose by more than 2.8 percent on the first trading day of 2026, marking its best start since 2013, as investor optimism toward the mainland artificial intelligence sector buoyed the market.

Over the past year, the synergy between the mainland's scientific innovation and Hong Kong's role as a key international financial hub has emerged as a prominent trend. Hong Kong, with its free capital flows and mature financial service ecosystem, is uniquely positioned to provide the mainland-based technology enterprises in need of capital and investment with diverse financing options.

Meanwhile, the clustering of these innovative enterprises enriches the listing resources of Hong Kong market, optimizes its structure, enhances its attractiveness in global financial competition, and further consolidates its status as an international financial center.

Both the latest remarks by Chan and the tech rallying at the start of 2026 point to the profound potential and long-term momentum embedded in the mutually reinforcing relationship, representing even broader development prospects.

Amid uncertainties caused by geopolitical changes and policy adjustments by various economies, barriers and volatility in some traditional tech financing centers are prompting international capital to seek markets that can offer steady growth. Concurrently, China's steadfast push for high-level technological self-reliance is nurturing a large cohort of frontier tech companies with global competitiveness. 

These enterprises require financing platforms that understand their technological roadmaps and growth models, and can connect them to global resources to achieve industrialization and internationalization. 

In this context, Hong Kong's unique value shines through. It possesses a mature legal system and financial infrastructure, and its role as a "super-connector" naturally makes it the ideal and most efficient bridge linking Chinese mainland innovation with global capital.

Moreover, to consolidate and enhance its status as an international financial hub, Hong Kong's capital market has proactively pursued institutional reforms and market development. 

In May 2025, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) and the Securities and Futures Commission launched the Technology Enterprises Channel, a dedicated platform facilitating listing applications for specialist technology and biotech firms. The strategic move has empowered a good number of innovative companies to access global capital more efficiently and ramp up growth within Hong Kong's dynamic financial ecosystem.

In November, the HKEX introduced the Hang Seng Biotech Index Futures, offering investors a risk management tool for one of Hong Kong's fastest-growing and most dynamic sectors, complementing the HKEX's existing suite of biotech-related offerings and flagship equity index derivatives.

In December, the HKEX expanded its index portfolio with the launch of the HKEX Tech 100 Index, which tracks 100 prominent large and mid-cap companies spanning six innovative industries.

The rapid growth of the mainland-based technology companies provides continuous momentum for this partnership. Their remarkable progress in research and development and innovation not only enhances their own value but also infuses Hong Kong's market with new vitality. Their listings attract significant international investment, strengthening the market's long-term appeal. 

Also, serving those high-tech firms drives the entire financial ecosystem - including legal, accounting, and professional services - toward higher expertise and the deeper integration of finance with technology.

The synergy between the mainland's scientific innovation and Hong Kong financing hub status is poised to deepen. With more steady progress, it will inject fresh energy into the sustained prosperity of Hong Kong's financial market and provide powerful support for realizing national strategies including technological self-reliance and financial openness.