Paul Chan: Electronic bond trading platform to be launched in the second half of the year

PANews reported on February 25th that Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po stated in Budget 2026 that, in order to optimize the business environment and facilitate internal restructuring for enterprises, he proposed relaxing the stamp duty exemption criteria for intra-group asset transfers to expand the scope of eligible related corporations. The Hong Kong government will submit a draft amendment to the ordinance this year, and the proposal will apply to documents signed from today onwards. Regarding enhancing Hong Kong's function as a major base for corporate treasury centers, Chan indicated that a series of optimization measures will be announced in the middle of the year, including providing additional tax incentives and flexibility for corporate treasury centers and their related companies, and establishing a pre-screening mechanism. Furthermore, following the implementation of the company relocation system last year, Chan stated that the Companies Registry has approved 22 cases to date and is currently processing approximately 20 applications. The Hong Kong government will strengthen its external promotion efforts to attract more companies to establish themselves in Hong Kong.