Hong Kong market resilient amid global tumult, Resourcing Tomorrow hears
- 16 April 2026
Hong Kong is strengthening its position as a financial “super connector and super value-adder” between China and international markets – “between the East and the West” – in a turbulent world geopolitical climate, the Special Administrative Region’s treasury under-secretary Joseph Chan said at today’s opening of Resourcing Tomorrow Hong Kong.
Chan (pictured above) said Resourcing Tomorrow’s emphasis on connecting miners with capital and investors with opportunity “captures exactly the role Hong Kong plays”.
“In the latest Global Financial Centres Index, Hong Kong continued to rank number three in the world and number one in Asia,” he said.
“Among different categories globally we ranked first in fintech offerings, banking, finance and insurance, while we ranked second in investment management. These results reaffirm Hong Kong’s leadership and the breadth of our strengths as an international financial centre.”
Resourcing Tomorrow Hong Kong has drawn about 300 people – including some 40% from more than 20 countries outside China and Hong Kong – to hear from mining and finance leaders about vital industry financing, investment and market trends.
The event opened on news major Chinese electric-vehicle battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd had earmarked US$4.4 billion in funding for its beefed-up mining investment arm.
Johnson Chui, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) head of global issuer Services, said in a keynote address metals and mining equity issuance (ECM) via the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was at a 10-year high in 2025 at $9.5 billion. The first quarter of 2026 had seen $3.6 billion ECM and a further $163 million of initial public offering funds raised after last year’s record $5.4 billion.
This year’s IPO issuers were up an average 311% since listing.
More broadly, Chui said, the HKSE had already seen seven $1 billion-plus ECM transactions and remained the world’s number one IPO market with $13.9 billion of deals.
“The market window has remained open despite the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty,” he said.
“IPO issuance remained active during 2026 Q1, [impacted] by the emergence of the AI value chain since late 2025, despite smaller IPO deal sizes.”
Joseph Chan said the average daily turnover of Hong Kong stocks reached nearly HK$276 billion in the first quarter, up 14% year-on-year.
“This strong performance underscores Hong Kong’s resilience and enduring relevance as a global financial centre, particularly amid periods of uncertainty,” he told the audience at Resourcing Tomorrow.
“While geopolitical tensions continue to create ripples across supply chains, energy markets and investor confidence worldwide, Hong Kong has demonstrated notable stability. This composure is not accidental. It is the result of vigilance, proactive engagement and, above all, a commitment to excellence in an intricate and interconnected world.”
Chan said the SAR was stepping up efforts to make Hong Kong a major regional gold reserve hub and a critical part of the world’s commodity trading ecosystem.
“Our central clearing system for gold is scheduled to commence trial operations within this year,” he said.
“This government-owned system will provide efficient and reliable clearing services for gold transactions, fully in line with international standards.
“We are also expanding our physical infrastructure. In partnership with the Airport Authority Hong Kong and financial institutions we aim to increase gold storage capacity to over 2000 tonnes within the next three years.
“At the same time, we are actively encouraging gold traders and refineries to establish or expand in Hong Kong.
“Last October one of the world's largest companies in trading and refining of precious metals set up its Asia-Pacific headquarters here in Hong Kong, a clear vote of confidence in our emerging gold hub status.
“On investment we are supporting the issuance of a larger variety of gold investment instruments. Two years ago we saw the first retail tokenised gold investment product issued in Hong Kong. This year we have welcomed a new gold Exchange Traded Fund with 100% local storage and physical redemption features.
“These product offerings will blend the security of physical gold with greater liquidity and accessibility for investors.”
Chan said the London Metal Exchange (LME) had designated Hong Kong as an approved delivery point in January 2025.
“As of March this year 15 LME-approved warehouses are now in operation with approximately 24,000 tonnes of LME-registered metals currently on warrant,” he said.
“Various bureaux and departments of the HKSAR Government are working closely together to maintains ongoing dialogue with industry stakeholders to encourage setting up more warehouses here.
“In the 2026-27 Budget the financial secretary announced plans to explore targeted tax incentives for eligible institutions engaged in gold trading and settlement in Hong Kong. These measures, together with the expansion of preferential tax regimes for funds and single-family offices to include precious metals, will help attract more capital and participants to our gold and precious metals ecosystem. We are also introducing half-rate tax concessions for commodity traders establishing businesses in Hong Kong, with legislative amendments to be introduced in the first half of 2026.
“These initiatives are particularly relevant to the mining community represented here today.
“As many of you explore and develop gold and commodities projects around the world, a robust, transparent and internationally connected trading centre in Hong Kong can provide enhanced financing channels, effective risk management tools and broader investment opportunities.
“By strengthening our gold and commodities market we are not only diversifying our financial offerings but also creating deeper linkages between the resources sector and Asia’s substantial capital pools.”
Peter Arkell, Global Mining Association of China (GMAC) chair, said Resourcing Tomorrow was hosting critical investment and innovation discussions and the influx of international industry delegates mixing with Chinese speakers was providing “rare insights”.
“Resourcing Tomorrow in Hong Kong is providing a fantastic forum for the industry’s important discussions,” said Arkell, who interviewed Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt vice-chair George Fang in a fireside chat.
“This part of the world is driving the global mining sector, not only as the dominant commodities market but also as a source of investors as well a hub for innovation.
“I hope that this will be a long running event in Hong Kong, playing an important role in the global discussion.”
