HKEX (00388) Chief Executive Officer Nicole Chan stated in a media interview that IPO enthusiasm in the Hong Kong stock market will continue to persist. Meanwhile, facing the current complex global situation, increasing numbers of foreign investors are investing in Chinese assets through Hong Kong to achieve diversified allocation. Chinese assets are transforming from what foreign investors called "uninvestable" several years ago to "must-have investments."

Chan noted that Hong Kong currently ranks first in IPO fundraising this year, with over 200 companies currently queuing for listing. Half of these are technology companies, along with a large number of Chapter 18A and 18C companies, as well as mature new economy enterprises. The issuance pace is reasonable, and she never worries about IPO supply-side issues, as the pipeline of companies seeking to go public is continuous. Her focus is more on the demand side - whether investors are willing to invest.

She pointed out that since the beginning of this year, she has observed that when large enterprises go public, foreign capital subscriptions account for a significant proportion. Particularly for high-tech companies, foreign investors may comprise 70-80% of subscriptions, with funds coming from Europe, America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, and long-term funds showing high participation rates.

Regarding connectivity with mainland markets, Chan revealed that the inclusion of REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) in the Shanghai-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect is quite mature in preparation. This represents the second of five capital market cooperation measures with Hong Kong announced by the China Securities Regulatory Commission in May last year, which aims to include eligible REITs from the mainland and Hong Kong into the Stock Connect program, generally following the institutional arrangements for stock and ETF connectivity between the two markets, further enriching the trading varieties under the Stock Connect.

Regarding future expansion of the connectivity mechanism, Chan stated that products not yet connected include commodities and derivatives. The ultimate goal is to achieve connectivity for all investment products that investors wish to purchase.