Month: December 2025

Additional batch of Approval Letters to be issued to successful applicants under White Form Secondary Market Scheme 2024 
     Following the issuance of a batch of Approval and Confirmation Letters in October 2025 to successful applicants who have passed detailed vetting of their eligibility under the White Form Secondary Market (WSM) Scheme 2024 (WSM 2024), the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) will issue an additional batch of Approval and Confirmation Letters tomorrow (December 30).
 
     “The HA’s Subsidised Housing Committee (SHC) endorsed in November 2025 a series of measures that encourage upward mobility through the housing ladder, which include, amongst others, enhancing the arrangements of the WSM. We noted that some successful applicants under the WSM 2024 awarded with a quota in October 2025 did not apply for the Certificate of Eligibility to Purchase (CEP) within the specified six-week period for purchasing a subsidised sale flats (SSF) with premium unpaid in the secondary market. To ensure full utilisation of WSM 2024 quotas, we will issue an additional batch of Approval Letters to successful applicants according to the ballot order to cover unused quotas. Moreover, any unused family quotas will be allocated to one-person applicants, which is consistent with the practice adopted for the primary SSF sale exercise,” a spokesman for the HA said.

     Each successful applicant will be issued with one Approval Letter and two Confirmation Letters. The two Confirmation Letters are applicable to the HA’s Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Secondary Market and the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS)’s Flat-for-Sale Scheme (FFSS) Secondary Market respectively. Within six weeks from the date of issuance, holders of Approval Letters may submit the Confirmation Letters to the HA and/or the HKHS respectively for application for the CEP to purchase a flat with the premium not yet paid in the HA’s HOS Secondary Market or the HKHS’s FFSS Secondary Market.
 
     The CEP is valid for 12 months from the date of issuance, and no extension will be granted upon its expiry. To complete the transaction, holders of the CEP need to apply for a Letter of Nomination from the HA or the HKHS after they have entered into a Provisional Agreement for Sale and Purchase (PASP). The applicant and the family member(s) named in the application form must meet the eligibility criteria of the WSM 2024 from the date of application submission up to the date of signing the PASP. Moreover, the SSF shall be occupied by the owner and all family members named in the Application Form for the purchase of the flat.
 
     The list of successful applications will be uploaded tomorrow to the website for the WSM 2024 (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/wsm/2024 
     The SHC endorsed in January 2025 that the quota for the WSM 2024 will increase significantly by 1 500 to 6 000. All of the 1 500 additional quotas will be allocated to young applicants aged below 40 under the Youth Scheme (WSM) in order to encourage young people to move up the housing ladder. Among the applications received, over 80 per cent came from young applicants opting to join the newly implemented Youth Scheme (WSM), demonstrating that the scheme is well received by young applicants.
Issued at HKT 14:30

Results of applications for Signature Performing Arts Programme Scheme announced     ​   
     On the advice of the Assessment Panel, among the 21 applications received, the Government selected two productions, namely “My Life as McDull Stage Show” by Bliss Concepts Limited and “Art Tech Dance Drama: Storm Clouds Realm of Infinite” by the Hong Kong Dance Company Limited and Pash Limited. Embodying distinctive Hong Kong characteristics and local brand intellectual property, the selected productions showcase the capacity and creativity of local arts talent, highlight the performing arts capability of Hong Kong and have potential to become long-running performances. The productions are expected to be staged in 2027.
        
     The Assessment Panel comprises experts, veteran arts and cultural practitioners, professionals with rich business acumen and experience and representatives from the Government. The Assessment Panel has examined each application’s artistic merits, effectiveness in consolidating Hong Kong’s position as an East-meets-West centre for cultural exchange, representativeness of Hong Kong, marketing and promotion strategy, attractiveness to a broad range of local and overseas audience, as well as viability and potential for being a long-running performance. 

     SPAPS aims to nurture world-class performing arts productions and international cultural brands that represent Hong Kong. Each selected production must stage at least 15 performances in Hong Kong and attract at least 10 000 paid audience members. Each selected production will receive a direct subsidy of up to $10 million and a matching subsidy of up to $5 million.
Issued at HKT 14:30

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Government launches industry consultation on proposed legislative amendments to facilitate digitalisation of business-to-business trade documents 
     International trade involves presentment or submission of various trade documents, including “Business-to-Government” (B2G) documents (such as import and export declarations, cargo manifests and various licences or permits) and B2B documents (such as bills of lading and bills of exchange). While the trade may already submit most of the B2G trade documents through the Government Electronic Trading Services and the Trade Single Window, transactions involving certain B2B trade documents still rely largely on paper-based means due to legal requirements and industry practice. As technology advances, the digitalisation of these documents has emerged as a new trend.
 
     As announced in the 2025-26 Budget and the 2025 Policy Address, the Government will make reference to the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR) advocated by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and consider legislative amendments to facilitate digitalisation of trade documents. Upon careful consideration by relevant authorities, the consultation paper outlines and seeks industry opinions on the proposed framework to amend the Electronic Transactions Ordinance (Cap. 553) (ETO) and relevant legislation for implementing MLETR provisions, covering various key aspects including the scope of application, assessment of reliability and operational requirements.
 
     The legislative amendments will provide the legal basis for the use of electronic transferable records, which are the electronic version of transferable documents or instruments. Suitable MLETR provisions will be codified into the ETO as far as practicable, with a view to aligning with international standards and promote cross-border interoperability.
 
     A spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) said, “The Government endeavours to maintain a business-friendly environment to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness in international trade. Digitalisation of B2B trade documents may reduce processing time and costs, enhance transparency and integrity, and facilitate international trade. We hope that the legislative proposal would empower the industry to develop technical solutions that suit their actual needs, thereby further enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness as an international financial, maritime and trade centre.”
 
     The consultation paper is available on the CEDB website (www.cedb.gov.hkIssued at HKT 12:30

HKMA announces total quota allocated for RMB Business Facility and list of participating banks from Phase 2 onwards 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (December 29) the expanded list of 40 participating banks (see Annex) starting from Phase 2 of the RMB Business Facility (RBF), with the total quota allocated to participating banks increased to RMB100 billion, from RMB50 billion in the previous phase.  
      
     As announced by the HKMA on September 26 (please refer to the Circular      
     Starting from Phase 2, which commenced on December 1, the 40 participating banks can apply for RMB funds from the HKMA within their assigned quota under the RBF, to provide RMB financing to local and overseas corporates in support of the real economy.
      
     The specific quota assigned to each of the 40 participating banks is based on the bank’s existing scale of relevant business, expected pipeline, as well as the geographical reach of its overseas intragroup banking entities, all of which reflect its potential in enhancing Hong Kong’s capacity in channelling offshore RMB funds to the global market. When determining the quota allocation, facility usage of the 24 banks that participated in the previous RMB Trade Financing Liquidity Facility and Phase 1 of the RBF has also been taken into account. 
      
     The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue, said, “With the support from the People’s Bank of China, the HKMA will continue to closely monitor the progress of the RBF, and will consider adding more participating banks as appropriate, subject to actual facility usage and market demand, with a view to further promoting the use of RMB in the real economy and fostering the growth of offshore RMB business in Hong Kong.”
      
     Terms and operation details of the RBF can be found in the aforementioned Circular.
Issued at HKT 12:00