Beijing’s latest reform to allow Hong Kong-listed companies to seek secondary listings in Shenzhen could bring mainland China’s most valuable tech companies such as Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings home, according to an HSBC report on Wednesday.
Mainland authorities on June 10 unveiled a sweeping set of guidelines that proposed allowing Hong Kong-listed companies to issue yuan-denominated A shares on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
This initiative is a strategic effort to deepen Shenzhen’s role as a financial hub, while also making the A-share market more attractive to both investors and issuers, HSBC analysts said.
They noted that mainland markets lacked large-cap internet and technology companies, while the Hong Kong market was short on hard technology and advanced manufacturing firms. By allowing H to A listings, Beijing hoped to bridge the gap and “deepen the reform and opening-up of Shenzhen”, they added.
While the guidelines did not specify which companies would qualify for H+A listings or include details about the application process, HSBC identified two main groups that could benefit from the reforms.
