Companies in information technology, biotechnology, new energy and advanced manufacturing sectors contributed nearly 70 percent of the total funds raised in Hong Kong’s initial public offering market last year, offering a glimpse of the role the world-renowned financial center could play in the national innovation drive.
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po made the remarks on Wednesday at the ForeSight 2026 Forum, organized by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC).
Chan said the city’s ambition to become an international innovation and technology hub has been firmly backed by China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).
Riding high on its critical pillar of finance, Hong Kong regained the coveted crown as the world’s top fundraising venue in 2025, when 119 companies raising more than HK$280 billion ($35.84 billion) made their debuts. The new listings had companies in information technology, biotechnology, new energy and advanced manufacturing taking center stage, the finance chief said.
Chan underscored the importance of strengthening the innovation ecosystem to turbocharge the development of new quality productive forces, in which “leading technology companies are critical to accelerating innovation and industrial clustering”.
Over the past three years, the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) has brought more than 100 companies to the special administrative region, representing investments exceeding HK$60 billion, creating about 22,000 research and development or management roles and occupying a combined floor area of 1.85 million square feet (171,870 square meters).
Beijing Yunji Technology, a startup that develops hospitality robots for hotels and other facilities, is among the office’s fourth batch of strategic enterprises to establish a foothold in the SAR last year. The robot-maker went public in Hong Kong in October, raising about HK$660 million to fund its global growth ambitions.
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Company founder Zhi Tao said Hong Kong’s value lies not only as an export launchpad but as a proving ground. In the territory, Yunji has deployed robots across several hotels, and has begun rolling out automated noodle-cooking robots at selected eateries.
“If our robots can operate in Hong Kong’s multilingual setting, navigate compact spaces such as lifts as small as 0.6 square meters, and comply with globally aligned regulations, then we are confident we can succeed here — and from here, go global,” she said.
Chan added: “Talent is essential to innovation. Great businesses attract great people, and when talent gathers, it helps draw even more high-quality companies, creating a positive cycle.”
HKPC Executive Director Mohamed Butt highlighted a notable increase of the number of people studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in Hong Kong now.
“Meanwhile, a growing pool of high-quality candidates from overseas and Chinese mainland are keen to come to Hong Kong to be involved in technology-driven growth,” he said.
OASES Director-General Peter Yan King-shun said mainland enterprises that OASES talks with are typically looking for high-end talent across multiple profiles — including research specialists and professionals with international operational experience and branding expertise.
“Some well-known companies are essentially leveraging Hong Kong as an international talent base,” Yan said, citing a firm that has increased its Hong Kong team from 200 people to nearly 1,000 in just over two years.
Contact the writer at sophialuo@chinadailyhk.com
