In October 2023, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited issued a guidance letter on the “Disclosure of the Basis of Consideration and Business Valuations in Notifiable Transactions”.

Taking reference to compliance development of other stock exchanges, previous consultations, and years of corporate governance reports review results, HKEX would like to introduce a series of listing rules amendments.

The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “HKEX”) has published the Guide for New Listing Applicants (the “Guide”), effective from 1 January 2024,

As a guidance and enhanced regulations on the compliance audit activities of personal information protection, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued “Administrative Measures for the Personal Information Protection Compliance Audit (Comment Draft)” and the annex of “Reference Points for Compliance Audit of Personal Information Protection” for public comments.

The International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) has published the Exposure Draft on Business Combinations — Disclosures, Goodwill and Impairment (the “Exposure Draft”) in March 2024,

In July 2023, the Securities and Futures Commissions (“SFC”) and the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council (“AFRC”) issued the first joint statement highlighting common regulatory concerns regarding loans, advances and prepayments arrangements for listed issuers.

On August 21, 2023, the Ministry of Finance officially released the “Interim Provisions on Accounting Treatment of Enterprise Data Resources” (“Provisions”), which will be implemented from January 1, 2024.

In recent years, HKEx has increasingly prioritized Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors. The consultation paper released in April showcases HKEx’s commitment to enhancing the quality of ESG disclosures made by listed companies.

Climate change is a major challenge that the world is facing today. The Emissions Trading System (ETS) provides a market mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by enabling companies to offset their carbon emissions generated from operations by purchasing carbon credits while offering economic incentives. Carbon markets can be divided into mandatory and voluntary markets.

In light of the heightened focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in the corporate landscape, poor performance and negative news will have a significant impact on corporate development.