Expand investment visas, say brokers

The Capital Investment Entrant Scheme should be augmented to include primary market products in light of a plan to relaunch the visa scheme as announced by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, a professional group suggests.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association said this would facilitate the development of green finance and technology and innovation in the city.

The HKSFPA was referring to the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme that Chan said would be launched again.

It recommended that the investment scope of the scheme should encompass not only the secondary but primary market so that local green finance and technology and innovation could be advanced.

It argued that in addition to providing more channels, extending it to primary market would enhance investor participation and strengthen environmental, social and corporate governance for these projects.

Four proposals were made by the association on how the SAR financial market could use the immigration scheme to promote private equity investment in green finance and technology and innovation, including launching a private equity fund, offering private bond placement, integration with the Hong Kong Limited Partnership Fund and strengthening regulation and supervision of fund managers and issuers in respect of these industries.