Hong Kong listed companies’ corporate transactions rebound 10 percent in Q1 2026, Grant Thornton reports

Corporate transactions by Hong Kong-listed companies showed a 10 percent rebound in the first quarter of 2026, with modest growth anticipated throughout the remainder of the year, according to an accounting firm. 

According to Grant Thornton’s latest Sale and Purchase Agreement Research Report 2026, the total number of transactions rose to 56 in Q1 2026, up from 51 during the same period last year. This recovery was primarily driven by asset acquisitions, which totaled 9 deals up from 5 in Q1 2025, and property disposals, which reached 5 deals up from 1 in Q1 2025.

In terms of sectors, business acquisition in the Information Technology sector surged to 14 percent of total transactions, up from 6 percent in the previous year. This growth was mainly fueled by heightened investment in AI-related businesses and companies with scalable, AI-enabled models.

The report notes that corporate deal volume among Hong Kong-listed companies had previously fallen 11 percent to 222 transactions in 2025, down from 250 in 2024. That softer performance was driven by reduced deal activity in asset acquisitions and disposals, such as vessels and aircraft, alongside fewer business disposals in the Properties and Construction sector.

 Looking ahead, Grant Thornton anticipates modest growth in overall transactional activities throughout the remainder of 2026, reflecting improving yet cautious market sentiment.

"AI-driven investment will remain a key engine for corporate deals," said Barry Tong, Partner and Head of Advisory at Grant Thornton Hong Kong. He noted that while financing costs will stay structurally higher than pre-2020 levels, improving liquidity offers a stable foundation for strategic and larger-scale transactions.

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