Hong Kong Islamic Finance Ambitions Rise With Growing Middle East Links

Hong Kong Islamic finance initiatives are gathering pace as the city positions itself as North Asia’s hub for Shariah-compliant financial products. Companies are exploring sukuk bond issuance to attract Middle Eastern capital into the Greater Bay Area, officials and bankers said. Standard Chartered’s David Yim noted growing interest in sukuk listings following government roadshows in the region. Financial Secretary Paul Chan highlighted that Hong Kong’s legal framework already supports Islamic finance and cited previous sukuk issues totalling more than USD3bn. The city has also introduced ETFs tracking Saudi stocks and sukuk bonds to deepen regional ties. Standard Chartered projects global Islamic finance assets to climb from USD4.93tr in 2024 to USD7.53tr by 2028, underscoring Hong Kong’s expanding cross-border finance potential.