Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) is pleased to announce that it entered into agreements to acquire a 20 per cent stake in the holding company of CMU OmniClear Limited (CMU OmniClear), as the leading financial market infrastructure operators bolster their strategic partnership to advance the long-term development of Hong Kong’s fixed-income and currencies (FIC) ecosystem.

HKEX will invest up to HK$455 million¹ in CMU OmniClear Holdings Limited (CMU OmniClear Holdings) through the subscription of new shares. Upon completion, HKEX and the Exchange Fund managed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) will hold 20 per cent and 80 per cent of CMU OmniClear Holdings, respectively. A signing ceremony was successfully held between HKEX, the Exchange Fund and CMU OmniClear Holdings in connection with the subscription.

This strategic investment builds on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between HKEX and CMU OmniClear in March 2025, and underscores HKEX’s commitment to cement Hong Kong’s position as a leading FIC centre and an international Renminbi (RMB) hub. CMU OmniClear is a company established to carry out the operations of the Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU) on behalf of the HKMA.

Through this partnership, HKEX and the HKMA will harness their combined resources, technology, talent and market expertise to accelerate the development of Hong Kong’s post-trade securities infrastructure into a major central securities depository (CSD) in the region.

Specifically, this will involve the continued commercialisation of CMU and the pursuit of business development initiatives in areas such as expansion of its investor CSD services,  asset classes coverage and collateral management services, with the goal of enhancing CMU’s competitiveness, and the cross-asset class efficiency of CSD platforms in Hong Kong.

Bonnie Y Chan, Chief Executive Officer of HKEX, said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with the HKMA and CMU OmniClear on this journey to support the next chapter of growth in Hong Kong’s FIC ecosystem. Developing our FIC capabilities sits at the core of HKEX’s strategic objectives, and this important investment reflects our commitment to building a diversified and vibrant multi-asset class product network, supporting the long-term resilience of our markets. As global investors seek more opportunities centred around our region, we look forward to working with regulators and market participants to further enhance Hong Kong’s status as a global bond fundraising, risk management and offshore RMB business centre, unleashing Hong Kong’s potential as a global FIC hub.”

Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the HKMA and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMU OmniClear Holdings, said: “The strategic collaboration between the HKMA, CMU OmniClear and HKEX marks a significant milestone in the development of Hong Kong’s financial infrastructure.  This partnership establishes a strong foundation for transforming CMU into a multi-asset class platform that provides investors with one-stop access to equity and debt securities while facilitating efficient two-way investment flows between the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and international markets. Together with HKEX and CMU OmniClear, we look forward to unlocking synergies and creating many more new business opportunities, further strengthening Hong Kong’s position as a leading international financial centre, global risk management centre and global offshore RMB business hub.”

The strategic partnership forms part of broader efforts to develop Hong Kong’s FIC ecosystem, facilitating future growth areas that include offshore bond repo, OTC clearing, and interest rate derivatives, whilst enabling broader use cases for non-cash collateral, particularly RMB-denominated bonds such as Chinese Government Bonds.

Proceeds of the investment, which will be funded by HKEX’s existing corporate funds, will be used to support future growth and market development initiatives of CMU OmniClear.

CMU, Hong Kong’s fixed-income CSD operated by CMU OmniClear, has around HK$5 trillion equivalent of assets under custody as of 30 September 2025 and plays a key role in managing the clearing and settlement of bond transactions conducted on Bond Connect, as well as supporting the growth of Swap Connect by facilitating efficient use of collateral held with CMU.

These two Connect arrangements were jointly developed by HKEX and the HKMA, whose long-term close collaboration has contributed to the continued success of both programmes, which hit fresh trading records this year.

In the presence of Mr Paul Chan (back row, middle), Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR; Mr Carlson Tong (back row, left), Chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited; and Mr Howard Lee (back row, right), Deputy Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMU OmniClear Holdings Limited, Ms Bonnie Chan (front row, left), Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited; Mr Eddie Yue (front row, middle), Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMU OmniClear Holdings Limited; and Mr Stanley Chan (front row, right), Group Chief Executive Officer of CMU OmniClear Holdings Limited signed agreements at a signing ceremony to deepen strategic partnership.

Source: HKEX