Meridians: In August, the registration volume of mortgages for completed properties in Hong Kong increased by 27% month-on-month, while mortgages for pre-sale properties surged nearly 73%.

According to the latest data from mReferral Mortgage Brokerage Services' referral research department and the Land Registry, the number of mortgage registrations for existing homes in Hong Kong in August 2026 was 8,798, an increase of 1,871 cases (27%) compared to July; the number of mortgage registrations for new properties that month was 762, a significant increase of 321 cases (72.8%) from July. In comparison over the first eight months, there were a total of 57,432 mortgage registrations for existing homes this year, which is an increase of 16,037 cases (38.7%) compared to the same period last year, marking the highest level for the first eight months in nearly four years; in contrast, the cumulative mortgage registrations for new properties for the first eight months totaled 4,077, a decrease of 295 cases (6.7%) compared to the same time last year. Cao Deming, the Chief Vice President of mReferral Mortgage Brokerage Services, stated that the more than 25% increase in existing home mortgage registrations in August was mainly driven by buyers from subsidized housing developments like Kai Ying Court, Yu Hing Court, and the Green Form Housing Scheme's Kam Pak Court attending meetings; the more than 70% surge in mortgage registrations for new properties was propelled by buyers of new launches with immediate delivery options (such as Coastal Bay I, First Shore, and the second phase of Yimu) gradually attending meetings. Recently, developers have begun implementing new sales strategies, and it is expected that the market atmosphere will gradually recover with the mortgage market also likely to maintain a stable trend. In August, regarding the market share of banks for existing home mortgages, BOC HONG KONG held the top position for the twenty-third consecutive month with a market share of 33.2%; HSBC ranked second with a market share of 25%; HANG SENG BANK came in third with a market share of 13.4%; Standard Chartered Bank ranked fourth with a market share of 8.1%; and Bank of Communications rose one spot to fifth place with a market share of 3.6%. For the market share of banks regarding new property mortgages in August, HSBC ranked first with a market share of 30.6%; BOC HONG KONG slipped one position to second place with a market share of 23.1%; Standard Chartered Bank was third with a market share of 14.8%; HANG SENG BANK was fourth with a market share of 12.6%; and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) ranked fifth with a market share of 5.4%. In August 2026, the market share of the four major banks for existing home mortgages increased by 3.1% from the previous month to 79.7%, reaching the highest proportion in over five and a half years. Cao Deming noted that the four major banks have been actively competing for mortgage business since the beginning of the year, launching diverse mortgage plans and enhancing relevant incentives such as cash rebates to attract quality customers, thus maintaining a high level of mortgage market share. Currently, only one major bank has extended the application date for its fixed-rate mortgage plan to December 31 of this year. With the interbank interest rates not having significant room for decline, it is expected that this plan will continue to attract customers. Additionally, some small and medium-sized banks that had not actively expanded their mortgage business earlier are beginning to step up, increasing their mortgage-related incentives, and it is anticipated that the mortgage competition among banks will continue until the end of the year.