Regulator profile · HK
HKMA — Hong Kong Monetary Authority
Tracked byBrokerlist Editorial · Independent review teamUpdated
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is the de facto central bank, supervising banking and managing the Hong Kong dollar's peg to the US dollar via the Linked Exchange Rate System (LERS, since 1983). HKMA does NOT license retail leveraged forex providers — that activity falls under SFC Type 3 (Leveraged Foreign Exchange Trading) authorisation. HKMA supervises banks, restricted-licence banks and deposit-taking companies.
Brokers in Hong Kong accepting residents under HKMA- Jurisdiction
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
- Founded
- 1993
- Mandate
- Established by combining the Office of the Exchange Fund and the Office of the Commissioner of Banking on 1 April 1993. HKMA enforces the Banking Ordinance, manages the HKD/USD currency peg via LERS, oversees inter-bank payment systems (CHATS), and conducts macro-prudential supervision of authorised institutions.
- Consumer protection
- The Deposit Protection Scheme covers bank deposits up to HKD 800,000 per depositor per scheme member institution. Banking conduct rules under the Banking Ordinance govern customer-facing activities. HKMA does not run a securities-investor compensation scheme — that's SFC's ICF (Investor Compensation Fund).
- Retail leverage caps
- Not directly applicable to retail FX — HKMA supervises banking-side FX activities (interbank, trade finance, corporate hedging) and the HKD/USD peg, not retail leveraged FX. Retail traders seeking margin FX use SFC Type 3 licensees; HKMA-supervised banks may offer FX services to corporate and high-net-worth clients with bank-grade conduct standards.
- Public register
- HKMA publishes the Authorised Institutions Register (banks, RLBs, DTCs) and the Money Lenders Ordinance register. Cross-reference SFC Public Register for capital-markets activities including Type 3 leveraged-FX licences. Open register ↗
- Dispute resolution
- Banking-related complaints go through HKMA's Complaints and Information Centre. Cross-sector financial disputes can use the Financial Dispute Resolution Centre (FDRC) — jointly established by HKMA and SFC, with binding awards up to HKD 500,000 if accepted by the consumer.
- Editor notes
- HKMA-supervised banks include HSBC Hong Kong, Hang Seng Bank, Standard Chartered HK, Bank of China (HK), and DBS HK — these provide banking-side FX services and trade finance. The HKD/USD peg via LERS keeps the HKD within a 7.75-7.85 trading band, intervened daily by HKMA when needed. Retail FX margin trading goes via SFC Type 3, not HKMA banks.
Brokers we track with a HKMA licence
No brokersNo tracked broker currently holds a HKMA licence in our database.