Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) plans to launch more proprietary benchmarks as it seeks to expand its index business as a “pillar” of growth, the South China Morning Post reports, citing bourse officials.
According to Richard Leung, group chief information officer of HKEX, the bourse is in talks with issuers in Hong Kong and China to launch more exchange-traded funds linked to its proprietary benchmark indices.
“With an increasing number of Mainland tech firms seeking listing in Hong Kong, the market structure and investor demand are evolving. Developing our index business allows HKEX to provide a more representative, up-to-date tool that reflects market trends and empowers investors to participate in China’s innovation story,” Leung is quoted as saying in the local newspaper report published on June 26.
The bourse currently has four proprietary equity benchmarks: the HKEX Tech 100 Index, HKEX KRX Semiconductor Index, HKEX Tech and US Tech 100 Index, and the HKEX Bursa Malaysia Large Cap Index.
HKEX has been focusing on strengthening product innovation, ETFs, data and regional connectivity since Bonnie Chan became chief executive officer in 2024. Under her watch, the bourse has been positioning ETFs and market data as a strategic growth business, and expanded the ETF Connect cross-border scheme with China.
“As an exchange that sits on one of the largest repositories of market data, it is only natural for HKEX to develop indices that catalyse market liquidity. Over the long term, indices will remain a pillar of HKEX’s growth strategy,” according to Gregory Yu, the bourse’s head of markets.
