Company listing applications in Hong Kong have been published online since April 1 but the new rules, whilst promoting transparency, may be having a detrimental effect on market activity.
It is three months since the Hong Kong Stock Exchange began publishing preliminary listing applications known locally as Form A1 on its website, in keeping with the Securities and Futures Commission's requirements. But by potentially exposing irregularities or missing information to all and sundry at such an early stage in the application process, some companies are being put off and could yet be driven elsewhere, some industry insiders say.
The threat of being named and shamed was...