Hong Kong leads global IPO fundraising in Q1 2026 with more than HK$103 billion raised

BlockBeats reported that on April 5, the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government published a review of Hong Kong's economic performance in the first quarter of 2026, saying market activity stayed strong. Average daily turnover topped HK$260 billion in the first two months of the year, up 17% year over year. Trading picked up further in March, with average daily turnover in Hong Kong stocks exceeding HK$300 billion, more than 8% higher than the same period last year. The article said investors are increasing asset allocations to Hong Kong, viewing it not only as a dependable destination for capital but also as a market benefiting from steady mainland China growth and a growing pipeline of high-quality listings that provide broad investment opportunities. It also noted intensifying global competition in frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, which is driving demand for significant funding to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies, scale the full industrial chain, and expand application scenarios. Against this backdrop, Hong Kong's listing platform is taking on a larger role. In the first quarter, the IPO market extended last year's momentum, with fundraising exceeding HK$103 billion as of March 27, ranking first globally. Including follow-on financings, total fundraising reached about HK$237 billion. A rising share of new listings is coming from emerging sectors including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, robotics, autonomous driving and biotechnology. More than 500 listing applications are currently pending in Hong Kong, and more companies are treating the city as a key gateway for fundraising and international expansion.