A report by accountants Grant Thornton indicates that Hong Kong's tightened securities regulations, prompted by events like Evergrande's liquidation and IPO frauds, resulted in 35 delistings versus 21 resumptions in the 12 months to August this year. Regulators have significantly increased scrutiny over issues such as asset overstatement, misappropriation, bank statement forgery, and illicit IPO proceeds outflow. The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has used its suspension powers three times this year, compared to once last year, and froze assets worth HK$4.6 billion (US$586.39 million) in an operation against IPO rigging syndicates.