Initial public offerings by Chinese firms are Hong Kong’s lifeblood, yet they were rarer than hen’s teeth in 2022. For deal flow to return, China must open up. Buckle up: things could get bumpy.

China is stuck. It has spent three years trying to keep Covid at bay, but now irate citizens have spilled onto the streets, questioning the competency of president Xi Jinping, and calling for an end to restrictions – just as transmission rates spike.

HSBC’s outgoing CFO, Ewen Stevenson, has mounted a robust case for the bank’s cost performance in an intriguing call with analysts that also featured an appearance by his replacement, Georges Elhedery. As he prepares to leave the bank, Stevenson defended his legacy by taking on the firm’s arch-critic, Ping An.

Last week’s financial summit aimed to show investors Hong Kong is open for business. While well attended, it also served as a reminder of how closed off the financial hub has become and how much of its lustre has been lost.

The great and the good of global finance gather in Hong Kong this week for a summit that aims to remind the world of the city’s status as an international financial centre.

China’s decision to let US regulators audit its New York-listed corporates is a shock. It’s a U-turn, a climbdown and a sign, more than anything, of China’s enduring financial frailty.

HSBC’s interim result shows that banks are drawing a line under pandemic-related provisions, while simultaneously setting aside new ones for the disease’s economic cure. All banks must make this transition, but HSBC has other things to worry about besides: a campaign from China’s Ping An to split the bank in half.

Hong Kong’s capital markets are moribund, its government erratic and directionless, and its economy in disarray. For a city that increasingly looks like anything but Asia’s ‘world city’ is there a route back to normality?

The UK bank’s new fund aims to deliver metaverse-themed investment opportunities to wealthy clients in Hong Kong and Singapore.

As Covid fatalities rise fast, senior bankers are fleeing a city that, despite today's relaxation of some rules, is increasingly cut off from the world. Will Hong Kong ever be the same again?

A ‘remarkable’ global dollar bond from Airport Authority Hong Kong raises the question of whether any member of the aviation sector should include a green tranche within its funding structure.

What does the future hold for Hong Kong, and by default for its overseers in Beijing? Euromoney’s China editor, stuck in lockdown in a Hong Kong hotel, considers the options.

In the face of fierce regulatory pressure in Washington and Beijing, it is hard to see many, or any, Chinese firms going public in New York next year.

Hong Kong’s harsh quarantine rules could stay for another year – and possibly longer. So could China’s. Bankers aren’t happy, but they’ve learned to adapt.

A new study shows a high level of restlessness among high net-worth clients: they are tired of being immobile and are considering moving their families

Last week, four global banks unveiled cross-border wealth management services under the banner of Wealth Connect, but with the crisis at Evergrande unresolved and growth slipping, the scheme comes at a tricky moment.

After a year of testing, China announced the rollout of a ground-breaking wealth management scheme that binds Hong Kong with Guangdong province. It should prove a boon to Hong Kong banks and mainland investors – and to Hong Kong itself.

Two years ago, Deutsche pulled back in ECM. Now, in Asia, it wants back in.

The London-based MFO is barely a year old, but in just two months McFaddens has formed alliances in the UAE and now with CIIC, a privately owned Chinese group. It is another sign of how fast this area of high-end private wealth is growing up.

By trumpeting a decision to relocate its private banking team to a pricier Hong Kong locale, Haitong International comes across as desperate for a headline. Then again, if it leads to a shinier future, it could be a prophetic moment for the big Shanghai institution.

When Stephen Williams joined HSBC more than 20 years ago, the bank was a backmarker in Asian debt markets. When he retires next month, he leaves it top of the heap.

The US bank’s decision to hire 2,300 new staff across its Asia wealth franchise, including 1,000 in Hong Kong alone, underlines the strength of the region and CEO Jane Fraser’s clear push in private banking.

DBS’s deal to buy 13% of a young and privately owned bank in Shenzhen highlights not only China’s vast growth opportunities post-Covid but also the potential of the cross-border Greater Bay Area.

HSBC has been talking about pivoting to Asia for decades. Now, it doesn’t just mean Hong Kong and its immediate surroundings. It is about time.

Nicolas Aguzin, the new head of HKEX, is respected in China and internationally, but challenges lie ahead – not least that of turning the city into a global capital markets hub.

Everything points to intense pressure for Hong Kong’s markets: global pandemic, geopolitics, local unrest. Yet HKEX just had a record first half. Its chief executive explains why.

Does the investment manager’s decision to shutter its Hong Kong office and relocate to Shanghai matter?

And the joint global coordinator is C█████ Sui███?

It has become almost fashionable to write off the city. There are important reasons to believe it will endure.

Bank of East Asia and activist investor Elliott have long bickered about the weak share performance of Hong Kong’s last family-run lender. A strategic review led by Goldman Sachs and backed by both aims to offer guidance about its future.