Hong Kong Stock Exchange: Digital payment solutions for the derivatives market after closing trading hours will be launched on December 14

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on November 13, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange announced that it will launch a new digital payment plan on December 14, 2026 to facilitate settlement participants to pay advance deposits during the trading period after the derivatives market closes.

The new service launched this time is based on a partnership plan between HKEx and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in June 2026 to explore the use of CyberHKD — a wholesale-level central bank digital currency (CBDC) with 24/7 operation — to pay prepaid deposits during the post-market trading period.

After the launch of the new plan, eligible Hong Kong Futures Clearing Limited settlement participants can choose to use this digital payment method to submit deposit applications from 5:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., so that the relevant amounts can be used during the corresponding post-market trading period. The extended payment period will complement the existing payment arrangement, allowing settlement participants to more flexibly manage their use of position limits determined by capital amounts outside of normal bank business hours.

HKEx has conducted trial real transactions with the HKMA, settlement banks and settlement participants to verify that the relevant technical and operating arrangements for the new scheme are in place.

This flexible payment method will be in line with HKEx's plan to extend the trading hours after closing in the derivatives market from March 2027 to provide the market with more convenient services and enhance operational resilience.