Checking a Hong Kong financial intermediary on the official register
Hong Kong does not keep one universal register that covers every kind of financial intermediary. To check a firm or an individual, first identify the regulated activity, then use the register kept by the regulator responsible for that activity: the SFC for securities, futures and virtual asset services, the HKMA for authorised institutions and local representative offices, the Insurance Authority for insurance intermediaries, and the MPFA for MPF intermediaries. On the entry you find, read the currently displayed class, status and any conditions, and treat the record as a point-in-time check rather than a continuing assurance.
Which register covers which activity
The routing looks like this.
| Regulated activity | Regulator | Register and search routes | What the register covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Securities and futures under the SFO, and virtual asset services under the AMLO | SFC | Register of licensees & registered institutions; search by name or CE number, by licence type, or by certain business activities (corporation only) | Licensed individuals, licensed corporations and registered institutions under the SFO; licensed individuals and licensed providers under the AMLO |
| Authorized institutions and local representative offices | HKMA | Register of AIs and LROs | API documentation describes a name field (Name of Authorized Institution / Local Representative Office) and a type field (Status) |
| Insurance intermediary firms and individuals licensed on or after 23 September 2019 | IA | Register of Licensed Insurance Intermediaries; firm search and individual search | Licensed insurance agencies, licensed insurance broker companies, licensed individual insurance agents, licensed technical representatives (agent and broker) |
| MPF intermediation | MPFA | Principal Intermediary and Subsidiary Intermediary registers | Corporations registered as principal intermediaries; persons or licensed long term insurance agencies registered as subsidiary intermediaries |
This table is a routing aid, not a ranking. No single register holds all categories.
SFC: scope and the three search routes
The SFC register lists, since the commencement of the SFO on 1 April 2003, all licensees (both licensed individuals and licensed corporations) and registered institutions under the SFO, and since the commencement of the AMLO regime for virtual asset service providers on 1 June 2023, all licensees (both licensed individuals and licensed providers) under the AMLO. It offers three search routes: search by name or CE number, search by licence type, and search by certain business activities for corporations only.
The register also displays the licence or registration records of persons or institutions who were previously licensed or registered under the SFO or AMLO. It does not provide records of persons who were previously executive officers of registered institutions.
Under section 136(4) of the SFO and section 53ZRH of the AMLO, the purposes of the register are to enable any member of the public to ascertain whether they are dealing with a licensed person or a registered institution in matters of or connected with any regulated activity under the SFO, or with a licensed person in matters of or connected with any virtual asset services under the AMLO, and to ascertain the particulars of the licence or registration of such persons or institutions. As required by the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, the information may only be used for those specified purposes.
SFC: update timing and no guarantee
The register is updated daily at the end of the day. It may therefore not contain the most up-to-date information, and registration or licensing status may change between daily updates.
If you have any doubt, contact the SFC directly for the most current information. The SFC also advises checking its Enforcement news section for details of publicly announced enforcement actions, and contacting enquiry@sfc.hk for details of earlier enforcement actions.
By publishing the register, the SFC does not guarantee the performance or creditworthiness of any licensed person or registered institution.
HKMA: a register of authorised institutions, not a general check
For authorised institutions and local representative offices, the HKMA maintains the Register of AIs and LROs.
The API documentation for that register describes a name field as the name of the Authorized Institution / Local Representative Office, and a type field as Status. These are field descriptions in the API documentation; they are evidence of the data structure, not a readback of the current status of any named institution. A register schema is not proof that any entity is currently authorised, and this article does not name or confirm the current authorisation of any bank.
Do not treat every financial intermediary in Hong Kong as an HKMA authorised institution or local representative office. Use the register only for the banking-institution categories it covers.
IA: insurance intermediary records since 23 September 2019
The IA register is established and maintained under section 64O of the Insurance Ordinance (Cap. 41). It provides information about all insurance intermediaries licensed in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on or after 23 September 2019, the commencement of the new regulatory regime for insurance intermediaries.
There are two broad search routes. The firm route covers Licensed Insurance Agency and Licensed Insurance Broker Company. The individual route covers Licensed Individual Insurance Agent, Licensed Technical Representative (Agent) and Licensed Technical Representative (Broker). The firm route does not replace the individual search; both may be needed.
The register is updated every working day, but it may not contain the most up-to-date information because of a time lag in processing and updating the information of the insurance intermediaries on the register. In certain circumstances, such as system failure or other unexpected situations beyond the IA's control, the time lag may be longer. Historical inclusion does not by itself prove a current active licence; confirm the displayed licence particulars.
MPFA: principal and subsidiary MPF intermediaries
The MPFA keeps registers for MPF intermediaries. To check a corporation, use the principal intermediary register: it shows whether a corporation is registered as a principal intermediary for carrying on regulated activities.
To check a person or a licensed long term insurance agency, use the subsidiary intermediary register: it shows whether the person or licensed long term insurance agency is registered as a subsidiary intermediary for carrying on regulated activities for a principal intermediary.
A subsidiary intermediary is linked to a principal, so subsidiary status is not the same as principal registration. These registers cover MPF regulated activities, not every class of financial intermediary.
The registers are updated every working day, but the information may lag, and in certain circumstances such as system failure or other unexpected situations beyond the MPFA's control, the time lag may be longer. By publishing the register, the MPFA does not guarantee the performance or creditworthiness of any registered MPF intermediaries.
How to check an entry
- Decide which regulated activity the firm or person carries on.
- Pick the register of the regulator for that activity.
- Open the search route for firms or for individuals.
- Enter the exact name or, for SFC searches, the CE number.
- Open the entry for the matching result.
- Read the displayed class, status and any conditions.
- Note the date shown for the entry.
- If the status or conditions matter, contact the regulator for the most current information.
What a register entry does not prove
A historical or current display of registration or licence does not guarantee conduct, performance or creditworthiness.
The SFC register's data may only be used for the specified purposes set out under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.
Because the SFC register is updated at the end of the day, and the IA and MPFA registers are updated every working day with a possible time lag, none of these registers should be treated as a real-time or complete record. For uncertain current details, ask the regulator; for SFC matters, contact the SFC directly or use the enquiry address given above.
Appearance on one register does not place the entity on another. An SFC licensee is not thereby an HKMA authorised institution, and an IA licensee is not thereby an MPFA registered intermediary.