Hong Kong stock exchange posts record half-yearly profit

Hong Kong’s stock exchange reported record profits on Wednesday, thanks to a surge in demand for initial public offerings by tech and artificial intelligence companies, the bourse operator said on Wednesday.

Exchange Square in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: GovHK.

The results come as Hong Kong’s IPO market saw a surge in listings from the artificial intelligence, technology and media and telecommunications sectors in the first half of 2026.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) welcomed 87 new listings, raising a total of HK$212.4 billion (US$27 billion) — a 94 percent increase year on year.

Attributable profit rose to HK$10.6 billion, up 24 percent from the same period last year, the firm said, adding that core revenue rose 19 percent to HK$15.5 billion, reflecting record volumes across the cash, derivatives and commodities markets.

The two both set new half-yearly records, surpassing those set in the final six months of last year, the company added.

CEO Bonnie Chan said the performance was “supported by robust market sentiment, strong fundraising demand from technology and AI-related companies, and active participation from both Chinese Mainland and international investors”.

“Trading activity across our cash, derivatives and Stock Connect markets reached record half-yearly highs, underscoring the resilience and relevance of our markets,” she said.

HKEX announced earlier this week that Chan’s contract has been renewed for another three-year term, until the end of February 2030.

Chairman Carlson Tong added: “HKEX entered 2026 with resilience and continued strategic progress, delivering record first-half performance against a backdrop of macroeconomic uncertainty and evolving geopolitical dynamics.”

A man poses for a picture on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade in Hong Kong, on September 5, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

“These shifting conditions have underscored the importance of portfolio diversification, prompting a growing number of global investors to look towards Asia — including China and Hong Kong — as key destinations for long-term capital allocation.”

A series of Chinese artificial intelligence companies have launched IPOs in Hong Kong this year, in line with what analysts view as a deliberate push by Beijing to use the capital markets to attract the overseas funds needed to finance national technology goals.

Chinese data centre supplier Zhongji InnoLight last month raised about US$6.8 billion on its debut, the city’s biggest public offering in seven years.

The city’s IPO market had raised about HK$210 billion as of June, the strongest first-half result in five years, according to accounting firms KPMG and PwC.