HKMA: New mortgage loans approved in August fell 28.2% month-on-month to HK$32.2 billion.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced the results of the residential mortgage survey for August 2026. The number of new mortgage applications in August decreased by 8.3% month-on-month from July to 8,446. The amount of new mortgage loans approved in August decreased by 28.2% month-on-month from July to HK$32.2 billion. Among these, loans approved for primary market transactions decreased by 31.8% to HK$9.1 billion, while loans approved for secondary market transactions decreased by 36.7% to HK$15.3 billion. As for loans approved for refinancing transactions, they increased by 6.8% to HK$7.8 billion. The amount of new mortgage loans drawn down in August increased by 11.6% month-on-month from July to HK$32.8 billion. The proportion of new mortgage loans priced with reference to the Hong Kong Interbank Offered Rate decreased from 61% in July to 57% in August. The proportion of new mortgage loans priced with reference to the Best Lending Rate increased from 1.3% in July to 1.9% in August. The outstanding amount of total mortgage loans increased by 0.6% month-on-month in August to HK$1,975.4 billion. The mortgage delinquency ratio was 0.11%, remaining at a low level, while the rescheduled loan ratio remained close to 0%.