Can Hong Kong’s IPO boom plug the hole in the city’s floundering office market?


In the first instalment of our two-part series on Hong Kong’s beleaguered property market, industry players pin their hopes on the resurgent IPO scene to boost office uptake and ease the pain for developers struggling with US$18.8 billion of loans.

KGI Financial Holding’s expansion in Hong Kong has breathed new life into the city’s struggling commercial real estate sector, with the Taiwanese financial firm leasing about 40,000 sq ft of space in the central business district.

Managing nearly US$135 billion of assets, the diversified financial group has expanded its existing securities and venture operations, and more recently opened the first overseas branch of KGI Bank, burnishing the city’s image as a global financial hub.

“As an international financial centre, Hong Kong boasts of highly developed financial infrastructure and professional services,” said Kate Lin, president of KGI Bank. “Its capital markets and financial industry are well-established, offering abundant funding support to businesses across various sectors.”

The Hong Kong branch “marks an important milestone for KGI Bank in developing overseas markets”, Lin said in a written reply to the Post, as it sought deeper collaboration with other units in the group on cross-border capital management, financing and wealth management solutions for corporate and high-net-worth clients.

A foggy view of Central, Hong Kong’s main central business district. Photo: Eugene Lee
A foggy view of Central, Hong Kong’s main central business district. Photo: Eugene Lee
The group, through KGI Securities, spent about HK$4 million (US$509,561) a month to rent the 33rd and 34th floors of One Pacific Place, the former headquarters of Swire Pacific – the parent of Swire Properties – which owns the 36-storey grade A office tower, according to sources.
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