Hong Kong pushes legal hub status with tech, sport dispute plans
Hong Kong government outlines measures to boost legal and dispute resolution services, including a subsidy for legal tech, a sport dispute pilot scheme, and efforts to attract international sports bodies, amid competition from other Asian hubs.
The Hong Kong government has detailed its latest efforts to strengthen the city's role as an Asia-Pacific legal and dispute resolution hub, as outlined in a Legislative Council reply on 11 November 2026. The measures include promoting Hong Kong law to emerging markets, expanding a sport dispute resolution pilot scheme, advancing Greater Bay Area (GBA) legal integration, and supporting digital transformation in the legal sector.
According to the reply, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) recorded 388 new arbitration cases in 2025, with 84.3 per cent classified as international. Of these, 45.4 per cent involved no Hong Kong party, 58.2 per cent no mainland Chinese party, and 13.7 per cent no Asian party. In 2024, HKIAC handled 352 cases, 76.4 per cent of which were international. The government noted that it does not track case data by emerging market as a separate category.
To attract businesses from the Middle East, ASEAN and Belt and Road countries, the Secretary for Justice led a 40-member cross-professional delegation to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in August 2026, and a 30-member delegation to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in May 2024. These visits promoted Hong Kong's common law system and arbitration services through meetings and memoranda of understanding with local authorities.
The Sport Dispute Resolution Pilot Scheme, launched on 13 February 2026, has received multiple inquiries and recorded successful mediation cases, with cumulative arbitration and mediation cases reaching double digits by September 2026. Separately, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau launched a three-year pilot scheme in April 2026 to fund sports associations seeking to attract Asian and international sports bodies to Hong Kong. As of late October 2026, six international sports federations, including the Asian Bowling Federation and the World Dragon Boat Federation, had established headquarters in the city.
On GBA legal integration, the government said it will continue to monitor the expanded scope of 'Hong Kong law and Hong Kong arbitration' clauses, which since February 2025 cover Shenzhen and Zhuhai for Hong Kong law, and all nine mainland GBA cities for Hong Kong arbitration. A dedicated task force to accelerate rule harmonisation is set to be established by the first quarter of 2027.
To support legal tech adoption, the government launched a Legal Technology Subscription Subsidy Scheme in November 2026, targeting small and medium law firms and junior barristers concerned about costs. It also published the Guidelines on the Use of Legal Technology in Legal Practice in the same month, outlining responsible use principles. These initiatives follow the establishment of an advisory panel in January 2025 and two editions of the Hong Kong Legal Tech Festival since 2025.
