A passenger walks to a Pony.ai robotaxi in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, during the 2026 Spring Festival holiday. Photo: Courtesy of Pony.ai

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange announced on Thursday that autonomous driving technology start-ups WeRide and Pony.ai are included in the Hong Kong Stock Connect eligible securities list, allowing eligible Chinese mainland-based investors to trade the companies' shares listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange through the Hong Kong Stock Connect program.

Hong Kong Stock Connect is a mutual market access channel linking the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong capital markets, with stringent eligibility requirements covering market capitalization, liquidity, and regulatory compliance. The program includes many leading Hong Kong-listed companies such as Tencent, Alibaba, and Xiaomi, and enables eligible mainland China investors to trade eligible Hong Kong-listed stocks.

WeRide's inclusion is expected to enhance the accessibility and liquidity of its Hong Kong-listed shares, strengthen its investor base, and deepen its connectivity with Chinese mainland capital markets, according to the official website of WeRide.

WeRide was listed on Nasdaq in October 2024 as the world's first publicly listed Robotaxi company, and was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in November 2025 as Hong Kong's first Robotaxi company. It also became the world's first autonomous driving technology company to achieve a dual primary listing in both the US and Hong Kong. 

The move comes as WeRide continues to scale its commercial operations worldwide. According to the company's financial results in the first quarter of 2026, WeRide reported total revenue of $16.5 million, up 58 percent year-on-year, reflecting strong, steady growth.

Inclusion into the Stock Connect program is a major milestone for Pony.ai since its dual listing on the Hong Kong and US stock markets in November 2025, officially opening the channel between Chinese mainland and global capital markets. Eligible Chinese mainland investors can now trade Pony.ai's Hong Kong shares directly through their A-share accounts, as the southbound capital link has been fully opened to this leading L4 autonomous driving company, Pony.ai said in a release sent to the Global Times. 

Wang Haojun, CFO of Pony.ai said Chinese mainland's capital market is one of the most knowledgeable markets in the world when it comes to autonomous driving. "Our Robotaxi business has passed the growth inflection point and entered the phase of commercial value realization," he said. The liquidity and capital support brought by the Stock Connect inclusion will effectively translate into long-term growth momentum for the company.

Pony.ai's 2026 Q1 financial report shows that the company's total revenue reached 236 million yuan ($34.86 million), surging 145 percent year-on-year. Among this, Robotaxi revenue stood at 59.12 million yuan, skyrocketing by 395.4 percent year-on-year, while passenger fares soared 456.5 percent year-on-year. The single-quarter revenue from Robotaxi reached an all-time high.


Global Times