Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) welcomes today's announcement by the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission of the start date for Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect (Stock Connect), a mutual market access programme of the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets.
As stated in a regulatory announcement HKEx published today, the launch of Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect on 17 November 2014 has been approved.
The HKEx market has been ready in terms of technical systems and operations for the launch of stock connect. HKEx is also pleased to announce that all the conditions under the Four-party Agreement* have been satisfied and therefore Stock Connect will commence operation on the launch date.
The list of Exchange and Clearing Participants that will participate in Stock Connect, the list of eligible stocks for Northbound trading and the list of stocks that will be eligible for Northbound margin trading on 17 November 2014 are available in the Stock Connect section of the HKEx website. As the registration process for Exchange Participants who have successfully completed the market rehearsals as China Connect Exchange Participants remains in progress, the participant list will be updated as more registrations are completed. The eligible stock lists will be updated daily.
"Through unprecedented cooperation, we established Shanghai – Hong Kong Stock Connect so that investors in the Mainland will be able to buy and sell shares listed on our market and investors here in Hong Kong and overseas will be able to buy and sell shares listed in Shanghai," said HKEx Chairman C K Chow. "Twenty years ago, our Stock Exchange welcomed H-share listings and provided investors with a new opportunity to share in Mainland China's growth. With Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, we will be offering individuals and institutions another way to invest in Mainland companies, and more importantly, it will broaden the investor base of the Hong Kong market."
"The launch of Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect will be a very significant breakthrough in the opening of China’s capital markets for both domestic and international investors as well as a landmark in the internationalisation of Renminbi," said HKEx Chief Executive Charles Li. "This development is also a landmark in further consolidating HKEx as a global exchange leader in Asia, not as a competitor of, but in close collaboration and partnership with Chinese domestic securities and futures exchanges."
HKEx has prepared a wide range of materials on Stock Connect, including Frequently Asked Questions and videos, for investors and market participants who are interested in knowing more about the programme. For details, please see the Stock Connect section.
* The Four-party Agreement was signed on 4 September 2014 by the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited, wholly-owned subsidiaries of HKEx, with the Shanghai Stock Exchange and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited for the establishment of Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect.
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