HKEX rolls out subscription-based data platform in effort to diversify product offerings

Bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) launched a subscription-based data platform in an effort to diversify its offerings and provide more information to global investors, according to a statement on Wednesday.

The platform is the latest move by the world’s fourth-largest market to diversify its offerings after it unveiled a resource last week that provides information on more than 2,000 retail funds in the city. It also comes at a time when global bourses are branching out, beyond trading stocks, to become providers of data and analytics as well. For example, in early 2021, the London Stock Exchange Group closed on its US$27 billion deal to buy Refinitiv, a global provider of financial market data and infrastructure.

Under former CEO Nicolas Aguzin, who left the company in February, HKEX introduced a host of products including futures on the MSCI A Shares Index and exchange-traded funds. That helped mitigate a broad slump in mainland stocks, given that those companies account for about 50 per cent of the HKEX’s listings and 80 per cent of the market capitalisation.

“Investors globally are looking for richer and more insightful data to help inform their investment strategies, and we at HKEX are fully committed to supporting them throughout their investment journey,” said Bonnie Chan Yiting, the CEO of HKEX.