Hong Kong Commerce and Economic Council: In the past three years, the Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department has assisted more than 1,600 companies in the Hong Kong exhibition industry and is expected to bring in more than HK$200 billion in direct investment

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on November 4, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong, Mr Yau Ying-wah, said at the Legislative Council that the Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department has been working hard to attract mainland and overseas companies from different industries to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong, and provide them with one-stop, tailor-made support services to assist them throughout the process from planning to implementation. Over the past three years (i.e. 2024 to the end of September 2026), the Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department has assisted more than 1,600 mainland and overseas enterprises to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong. In total, it is expected to bring more than HK$200 billion in direct investment to Hong Kong and create more than 28,000 local jobs.

Qiu Yinghua said that the Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department will continue to implement the performance targets announced in the 2025 “Policy Address”, which is to attract a total of at least 1,200 mainland or overseas enterprises to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong between 2026 and 2027, thereby bringing in direct investment of at least HK$120 billion and creating at least 12,000 jobs. At present, the relevant work is progressing well. The Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department has assisted about 550 enterprises to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong in the first nine months of this year.

He explained that in the past three years, the Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department has helped more than 1,600 enterprises set up or expand their business in Hong Kong, mainly from innovation and technology, financial services and fintech, family offices, and travel and hospitality industries, which are expected to bring a total of more than HK$200 billion in direct investment to Hong Kong. These results are also reflected in the total number of companies based in Hong Kong, which has continued to rise in recent years. According to the Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department and the Government Statistics Department's latest “Year-Over-Year Statistical Survey Report on Companies with Parent Companies Outside Hong Kong”, the number of companies based in Hong Kong from the Mainland and overseas reached 1,1070 in 2025, an increase of about 11% over the previous year, a record high, while the number of employed people reached 509,000, an increase of about 3% over the previous year. These companies based in Hong Kong also include more than 1,500 regional headquarters, an increase of about 7% over the previous year, helping to further strengthen Hong Kong's position as an international financial, trade and shipping center, play a role as a control tower, drive high-value-added supply chain activities in various industries, and promote the vigorous development of Hong Kong's overall economy.

He added that in addition to bringing huge investment and creating a large number of local jobs, companies will also drive service demand in surrounding industries such as retail, catering, transportation, residential and commercial building markets. Furthermore, many of the companies assisted by the Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department come from industries related to people's livelihood. Of the 560 projects completed by the Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department in 2025, about 120 (about 21%) are from retail, catering, e-commerce, trade and other related industries, an increase of more than 20% over the previous year. These enterprises help expand the products or services that Hong Kong citizens can choose, thereby improving the overall quality of life of the public.