HONG KONG, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Paul Chan, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said on Sunday that despite challenges brought by the ever-changing geopolitical landscape, Hong Kong continues to strengthen its role as an international financial hub while opening new growth opportunities through ongoing innovation and expanded cooperation.

Chan said in his blog that the functions and substance of Hong Kong as an international financial center are being continuously strengthened and enhanced. Building on last year's strong performance, Hong Kong has continued to lead the world in IPO fundraising since the beginning of 2026. As of last week, IPO fundraising on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange had exceeded 140 billion HK dollars (about 17.86 billion U.S. dollars). Since March, the average daily turnover of Hong Kong stocks has surpassed 280 billion HK dollars.

He said that Hong Kong is actively developing an international gold trading market. The largest gold ETF ever listed in Hong Kong debuted last week, supporting physical gold redemption. This will help Hong Kong gradually build a complete gold industry and value chain.

Chan also said that Hong Kong has signed mutual recognition agreements with 20 exchanges worldwide, facilitating dual listings and building a broader network of market collaboration. At present, Hong Kong is actively studying the inclusion of Bursa Malaysia in the list of recognized stock exchanges, creating conditions to attract new capital and new listing sources. ■