Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Thursday launched a pilot project to enable a digital payment solution for derivatives after-hours trading in Hong Kong.
After-hours trading on HKEX allows investors to hedge or adjust positions in response to market news and events in the European and US time zones. The pilot targets the payment infrastructure that supports that activity.
The initiative fits within a broader strategic push from HKEX. The exchange operator’s March 2026 investor presentation flagged derivatives expansion, after-hours trading, and infrastructure upgrades as active priorities. HKEX also enhanced margin collateral arrangements at its Hong Kong clearing houses in October 2025 and January 2026.
The HKMA, for its part, has been working on payment connectivity and digital money infrastructure through projects including Project mBridge and Project Ensemble. In January 2025, the authority and the People’s Bank of China announced measures to deepen cross-boundary payment facilitation between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
The pilot is part of Hong Kong’s ongoing market-infrastructure buildout across derivatives and payment systems.
