HONG KONG – A total of 122,481 local companies and re-domiciled companies were newly registered in Hong Kong in the first half of this year, taking the total to 1,609,720, which is an all-time high figure, official data showed on Friday.

Statistics for the first half of 2026 released by the Companies Registry show that 903 non-Hong Kong companies have newly established a place of business in the city and were registered under the Companies Ordinance in the first six months of 2026.

The total number of registered non-Hong Kong companies reached 16,014 by the end of June, which is also an all-time high figure.

According to the government, the Company Re-domiciliation Regime, which came into operation on May 23, 2025, has received positive responses from the market in its first year of operation.

“By the end of June 2026, the Registry had received 70 applications, among which 42 companies have successfully re-domiciled to Hong Kong, including two insurance companies and one listed company,” reads a government statement. The original places of incorporation of these companies include the British Virgin Islands, Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, it added.

The number of charges on properties of companies received for registration in the first half of this year was 7,225, while that of notifications of payments and releases received for registration during the same period was 10,336.

New registrations of 406 limited partnership funds (LPFs) in the first half of 2026 took the total to 1,729. Meanwhile, 79 open-ended fund companies were newly incorporated during the period, bringing the total number by the end of June to 752.

A total of 333 new licenses were granted by the Registry trust or company service providers during the first half of 2026, which took the total number of licensees to 7,412.

For the licensing of moneylenders, during the first half of 2026, 66 new licenses were granted by the Licensing Court, taking the total number to 1,962 at the end of June.