In the 2026 Budget, Financial Secretary Paul Chan stated that to optimize the business environment and facilitate corporate restructuring, he proposes to relax the criteria for stamp duty exemptions on intra-group asset transfers, thereby expanding the scope of eligible associated corporate entities. The Hong Kong government will submit a draft amendment to the relevant regulations within the year, and the proposal will apply to instruments executed from the date of this announcement. Regarding enhancing Hong Kong’s role as a major hub for corporate treasury centers, Paul Chan noted that a series of optimization measures will be announced in the middle of the year, including providing additional tax incentives and flexibility for corporate treasury centers and their affiliated companies, as well as establishing a pre-clearance mechanism. Additionally, following the implementation of the company re-registration scheme last year, Paul Chan noted that the Companies Registry has approved 22 cases to date and is currently processing approximately 20 applications. The Hong Kong government will step up its outreach efforts to attract more enterprises to establish operations in Hong Kong. (Hong Kong Economic Times)