Hong Kong investment arm helped 560 new overseas and Chinese businesses set up in 2025, half from mainland

2026-01-26 - 05:41

More than half of the 560 businesses that Hong Kong’s investment arm helped set up or expand into the city last year were from mainland China, according to an official statement. The total number of businesses gaining a foothold in the city in 2025 represented a 4 per cent increase from the previous year’s figure, reaching a record high, according to a Monday statement by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the city’s body responsible for foreign investment. Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, Alpha Lau (left), and Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau (right). Photo: InvestHK. With the new companies entering the market, the investment body estimated that the amount of total investment brought to Hong Kong’s economy topped almost HK$69.4 billion last year, a 2 per cent increase from 2024. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said in the statement: “With record numbers of mainland and overseas companies and start-ups in the city, there is a clear reflection of the strong global investor confidence in Hong Kong.” Of the 560 new companies, 298 originated from mainland China, amounting to about 53 per cent. Behind that were companies from the US, with 42 new firms, followed by Singapore at 29, and the UK at 26. The companies are expected to create 10,748 jobs in Hong Kong covering transport, logistics and industry, tourism and hospitality, as well as the financial services and fintech industries, with around 20 per cent at the managerial or professional level, during their first year of operation. A total of 117 of the companies are in financial services and fintech, with 115 in innovation and technology. Family offices accounted for 80 of the companies, with 65 in tourism and hospitality and 54 in consumer products. In 2024, InvestHK helped 539 companies enter the Hong Kong market, including 273 from mainland China. Investment migrants Separately, the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme received 2,852 applications by the end of 2025 since its launch in March 2024, which will bring in more than HK$85.5 billion in investments to the city, the statement read. A real estate agency promoting the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Hong Kong introduced the scheme last March to allow foreign nationals, as well as residents of Taiwan, Macau, and mainland China to be granted a two-year visa if they invest at least HK$30 million of permissible assets in the city. Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, Alpha Lau, said that the investment body will continue o support mainland enterprises to “go global via Hong Kong, strengthening the city’s role as a powerful conduit for two-way investment.” The body will also view the Northern Metropolis – a development project in the city’s north that seeks to strengthen ties between Hong Kong and mainland Chinese cities – as a “strategic priority.” “Through preferential policy packages, we are committed to attracting more high-potential companies to set up in Hong Kong and showcasing to the international business community the enormous potential of Hong Kong as a cross-border collaboration platform,” she said. In all, 195,343 local companies and re-domiciled companies were newly registered in the city last year, according to the Companies Registry – an all-time high.