🇭🇰 Foreign ownership of Hong Kong brands
26.4% of the 72 Hong Kong brands with a controlling owner (19) are owned by a company headquartered outside Hong Kong, most often in China, the United Kingdom and Australia. That ranks 24 of 94 countries analysed.
Which countries own them
| Owner headquartered in | Brands | Share of foreign-owned | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | 11 | 57.9% | |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 🇫🇷 France | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 1 | 5.3% |
Largest foreign owners
| Owner | Headquarters | Hong Kong brands owned |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Communications | 🇨🇳 China | 3 |
| Bank of China | 🇨🇳 China | 2 |
| ICBC | 🇨🇳 China | 2 |
| Agricultural Bank of China | 🇨🇳 China | 1 |
| China Life | 🇨🇳 China | 1 |
| COSCO Shipping Holdings | 🇨🇳 China | 1 |
| CPIC | 🇨🇳 China | 1 |
| DBS | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 1 |
| Freightos | 🇪🇸 Spain | 1 |
| Fubon Financial | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 1 |
Where foreign ownership is highest
Top-level categories with at least 5 Hong Kong brands that have a controlling owner.
| Category | Brands | Foreign-owned | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance & insurance | 19 | 14 | 73.7% |
| Apparel, footwear & accessories | 7 | 1 | 14.3% |
| Restaurants & foodservice | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Travel & transport | 28 | 3 | 10.7% |
Examples
- ABC International owned by Agricultural Bank of China
- BOC International owned by Bank of China
- BOCOM International owned by Bank of Communications
- Bank of China Group Insurance owned by Bank of China
- Bank of Communications (Hong Kong) owned by Bank of Communications
- China BOCOM Insurance owned by Bank of Communications
- China Life Franklin Asset Management owned by China Life
- China Pacific Insurance (H.K.) owned by CPIC
- DBS Bank Hong Kong owned by DBS
- Freightos owned by Freightos
- Fubon Bank (Hong Kong) owned by Fubon Financial
- Globavend owned by Globavend
How this is computed
Of 73 Hong Kong brands recorded, 72 have a current controlling owner (outright or a stake of 50% or more, followed up to the ultimate parent). The other 1 are licensed, part-owned or lack a current owner and are left out. A brand is foreign-owned when that ultimate parent is headquartered in a different country from the brand's origin. Data as of . Method and ranking for all countries.
Coverage caveat. The brands tracked skew towards those held by large filing companies, so this overstates foreign ownership relative to every brand in the country. See also the Hong Kong country page.