Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Liu Biyin: Plans to extend derivative trading hours ahead, aiming to fully cover the US stock market closing period.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) Chief Operating Officer Liu Biyan said in an interview that the exchange plans to prioritize extending trading hours for derivative products, aiming to cover the entire closing period of the US stock market. However, the specific implementation timeline is not clear yet, as market cooperation and regulatory opinions still need to be considered. She also mentioned that the intention behind extending trading hours is not to compete with other exchanges in terms of duration, but to create more overlapping time with different markets to attract more international funds to invest in Hong Kong assets. As for extending trading hours for the Hong Kong stock market, she pointed out that there would be significant challenges. Apart from considering local securities firms and investors from mainland China and Hong Kong, coordination with the mainland in terms of the "Stock Connect" mechanism may also be necessary. Currently, there is no consensus in the market, and further in-depth and extensive research is required. Regarding Nasdaq's plan to extend trading hours to 23 hours a day, she expressed concerns that if the Hong Kong stock market follows suit, it may not necessarily benefit the market and could potentially bring about problems, including risks related to insufficient system maintenance time and the need for significant adjustments by market participants.