Hong Kong securities industry net profit up 21 per cent in first half
Hong Kong's securities industry net profit rose 21 per cent half-on-half to HK$51.7 billion in the first half of 2026, driven by record trading activity and client growth, according to Securities and Futures Commission data. The SFC executive director cited market resilience.
Hong Kong's securities industry saw net profit grow 21 per cent half-on-half to HK$51.7 billion in the first half of this year, fuelled by robust trading activity and growing client participation, data from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) showed on Tuesday.
From January to June, brokers' total value of transactions jumped 24 per cent half-on-half to a record HK$149 trillion, while the number of active clients increased 10 per cent to around 5.7 million as of June, according to the latest financial review of the securities industry published by the SFC.
Total income went up by 4 per cent compared with that of the second half of 2025, among which trading commission and interest income increased 13 per cent to HK$45.4 billion. In contrast, asset management-related fee income decreased 21 per cent to HK$24.4 billion during the period, primarily due to the timing of fee recognition, particularly performance fee income, which was accounted for in December 2025 but not in the first half of 2026.
The net profits of Stock Exchange of Hong Kong participants rose 20 per cent to HK$23.7 billion, while Category B brokerages, or medium-sized players by turnover, outperformed with net profits surging 37 per cent to HK$12.8 billion.
The first-half average daily turnover on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong reached a record high of HK$283 billion, up 9.3 per cent from HK$259 billion in the second half of 2025. The city's benchmark Hang Seng Index closed at 22,881 as of June 30, down 11 per cent from its close at the end of 2025.
The robust first-half performance highlights the Hong Kong market's resilience and its ability to adapt to evolving conditions while maintaining sound financial fundamentals, said Eric Yip Chee-hang, Executive Director of intermediaries of the SFC. Looking ahead, sustaining high-quality market development will require continued collaboration between the SFC and the industry, Yip added.
