Hong Kong

The Companies Registry of Hong Kong (CR) is a specialized government department of Hong Kong that falls under the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. CR serves as Hong Kong's principal registrar and regulator, with responsibilities that include incorporating companies in Hong Kong and registering companies incorporated elsewhere. Other than functioning as an organization that registers companies, the Companies Registry acts as the main portal towards achieving financial transparency via the licensing system of the Money Lenders and TCSPs to ensure stringent compliance with the anti-money laundering requirements. Through its digitized infrastructure, the Companies Registry controls the official depository of corporate disclosures in one of the leading financial hubs of the world.

HKMA is Hong Kong’s central bank and the principal banking supervisory authority, and is independent in its statutory status under the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau. Founded on April 1, 1993, HKMA acts as a highly evolved macroprudential authority in charge of ensuring systemic financial stability in Hong Kong and preserving the Link Exchange Rate System where the Hong Kong Dollar is linked to the US Dollar. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Eddie Yue, JP, HKMA controls the Exchange Fund – the official multi-billion-dollar fiscal and foreign exchange reserves of the territory- and acts independently as a representative of Hong Kong at high-level international organizations, such as BCBS and FSB.

Insurance Authority (IA) is the independent regulator of the insurance industry in Hong Kong that enjoys independence from the government in both finance and administration. The establishment of the IA came into effect on 7 December 2015 under the provisions of the Insurance Ordinance (Cap. 41). The IA was established to take the place of the former Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, and the shift in regulation of the industry aims to improve public confidence in the system. Headed by Stephen Yiu, SBS, JP, the authority serves as an important institution of protection of the financial system by ensuring the stability of insurers.

The Joint Financial Intelligence Unit (JFIU) is the specific national financial intelligence center of Hong Kong, which functions as a partnership between staff of the Hong Kong Police Force and the Customs and Excise Department. Located at Police Headquarters in Wanchai, it is managed under the Financial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau (FIIB) as the leading gatekeeper for the jurisdiction to counter illegal capital movements. In addition to not being a field investigation unit, the JFIU is an intelligence processing facility only. As a connector between the reporting private sector and prosecution authorities, it remains a full member of the international Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units.

The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Office (PCPD) is a statutory authority responsible for the regulation, supervision, and enforcement of data privacy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The statutory authority operates under the direction of the Privacy Commissioner, who is independent of the usual civil service, in order to guarantee impartiality in the regulation of data handling procedures. As one of the organizations responsible for protecting digital rights, PCPD actively participates in formulating local privacy policies, protecting individuals' access rights, and collaborating with other data protection authorities internationally.

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is an independent statutory organization with the mandate of regulating the liquid assets market as well as the derivatives trading environment in Hong Kong. The SFC was established independently of the civil service structure in order to maintain its independence and to regulate one of the best corporate listing locations in the world. Through the management of the SFC, it serves as a financial watchdog and regulates the financial markets of the country without any connection to the government, but is accountable to the Financial Secretary. The SFC is one of the global standard setters and is represented by Hong Kong as a full voting member of IOSCO.