The latest from China & Hong Kong

Promotion: We have a Hong Kong Company Registration package which includes Hong Kong Incorporation, Government Incorporation Fees, Government Business Registration Certificate Fees, 1 year Registered Office and Company Secretary services together with a business bank account from Airwallex for HK$4,500. View detailed offer. Hong Kong continues to be one of Asia’s most attractive locations for technology founders, research-led companies and international start-ups looking to

Setting up a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise (WFOE) in China typically takes two to four months end-to-end — business licence, tax registration, bank account opening, and foreign exchange registration, each with its own queue. For companies that need to hire someone in China now, or that aren't yet ready to commit to full entity setup, that timeline is often the wrong fit for the moment. That's where Employer of Record (EOR) comes in. What an Employer of Record actually does

Hong Kong is often the first stop for international companies expanding into Asia — but incorporating a company isn't always the right first move. If you want to test the market, hire a single salesperson, or bring on local talent before committing to a full entity setup, there's a faster route: Employer of Record (EOR). What an Employer of Record actually does An EOR is a licensed local entity that legally employs staff on your behalf in Hong Kong, while the person works exc

You've found the right person in Hong Kong, but you don't yet have a legal entity there and standing one up before you can make the hire could take weeks you don't have. A Hong Kong Employer of Record (EOR) solves exactly this. The EOR becomes the legal employer of record on paper, while the employee works for you day to day. What the EOR takes on Compliant employment contracts under the Employment Ordinance. Payroll processing, including accurate salary, allowances and deduc

China no longer requires a strict minimum registered capital for most industries, and companies operate on a "subscribed capital" system where founders declare what they intend to invest without having to hand it over immediately. That flexibility has made China company registration faster and cheaper, but it came with a hard limit that's now catching up with companies incorporated a few years ago: under the amended PRC Company Law, effective 1 July 2024, all registered capit

Opening a business account is a key step for any company setting up in Hong Kong. Without an account, it can be difficult to receive customer payments, pay suppliers, manage operating costs or build a practical base for regional business activity. However, business account opening is not automatic. Whether a company applies to a traditional bank or a financial platform such as Airwallex, the provider will need to assess the company before approving the account. This assessmen

Hong Kong's territorial tax system remains one of its defining attractions: income sourced outside Hong Kong can sit outside the profits tax net. But for any company that belongs to a multinational group, the phrase 'offshore, therefore tax-free' no longer stands on its own. The Foreign-Sourced Income Exemption (FSIE) regime has, over successive refinements, turned a source-based assumption into a substance-based test, and the scope of what it catches has widened materially.

Every Hong Kong company has kept a Significant Controllers Register (SCR) since the requirement was introduced in 2018. For years, it sat quietly in the background of most companies' compliance paperwork, reviewed once a year, updated when someone remembered. In 2026, that's no longer a safe way to treat it. What's actually changed The legal requirement hasn't changed: every Hong Kong company must identify and record its significant controllers, anyone holding more than 25% o

If you've looked closely at your Hong Kong company's certificates recently, you may have noticed more than one number attached to your business and it's not always obvious which one you're supposed to use where. Since Hong Kong rolled out its Unique Business Identifier (UBI) system, this has become one of the more common points of confusion for founders, especially those managing filings from overseas. Three numbers, three purposes Every Hong Kong private limited company can

China bleibt eine der bedeutendsten Handelsnationen der Welt. Der Marktzugang wird jedoch weiterhin durch ein strukturiertes und streng kontrolliertes Import- und Exportlizenzsystem geprägt. Im Jahr 2026 ist die regulatorische Durchsetzung konsistenter geworden, digitale Systeme sind stärker integriert, und grenzüberschreitende Transaktionen werden detaillierter geprüft. Für Unternehmen, die mit China handeln oder in China tätig sind, ist ein klares Verständnis der Lizenzanfo

Hiring employees in Hong Kong is often a practical first step for international companies entering Asia. Hong Kong offers a straightforward employment environment, a familiar legal system, access to regional talent and relatively efficient payroll administration compared with many other jurisdictions. However, straightforward does not mean informal. Once a company hires employees in Hong Kong, it must operate payroll correctly, maintain employment records, report remuneration

For foreign companies operating in China, financial oversight should not stop at incorporation. Once the business licence has been issued, the company must maintain accounting records, complete tax filings, manage VAT and fapiao processes, monitor payroll, and ensure that payments, contracts and reporting all remain aligned. Two important tools support this process: the annual audit and the internal control review. They are connected, but they are not the same. The annual aud

When Hong Kong's inward re-domiciliation regime took effect on 23 May 2025 under the Companies (Amendment) (No. 2) Ordinance 2025, it closed a gap that had quietly cost international groups for years. Before it, a company wanting to make Hong Kong its legal home faced two unattractive routes: liquidate and re-incorporate, breaking contractual continuity, or run a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement, expensive and slow. The new regime offers a third path, transfer your domi

Promotion: We have a Hong Kong Company Registration package which includes Hong Kong Incorporation, Government Incorporation Fees, Government Business Registration Certificate Fees, 1 year Registered Office and Company Secretary services together with a business bank account from Airwallex for HK$4,500. View detailed offer. Incorporating a Hong Kong company is only the first stage of entering the market. Once the company has been formed, directors must ensure that it remains

Registering a company in China runs through a standard form filed with the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR): the Company Registration (Filing) Application Form. From 1 May 2026, a new version of that form replaced the one that had been in use since 2022 and for foreign investors setting up a WFOE, two changes are worth knowing about before you file. What changed on the form 1. Capital contribution deadline disclosure. Following the 2024 Company Law's introduc

For many technology founders, the move from prototype to commercial business is one of the most demanding stages of growth. The product may be working. The market may be showing interest. The founder team may have early validation, technical capability and a clear view of the opportunity ahead. However, moving from an early-stage concept into a structured incubation programme requires more than technology alone. It also requires the right company structure, statutory setup an

Special purpose reviews in China help foreign-invested companies deal with capital verification, tax clearance, restructuring, liquidation, internal controls and regulatory enquiries. Here is what overseas businesses need to know. For companies operating in China, the annual statutory audit is only one part of financial and regulatory compliance. There are many situations where a business needs a more targeted review, focused on a specific transaction, event, regulatory requi

China’s digital economy continues to expand at pace, creating clear commercial opportunities for overseas businesses. At the same time, the regulatory environment governing online activity is tightly controlled and continues to evolve. Foreign companies often underestimate how early licensing and structural decisions affect their ability to operate effectively in the market. Launching a website, app, or online platform in China is not simply a technical exercise. It is a regu

Hong Kong has long been used by international companies as a commercial bridge between Mainland China and global markets. For businesses buying from China, selling into China, managing regional distribution or coordinating cross border contracts, a Hong Kong company can provide a practical operating structure that supports trade, banking, tax planning, logistics and supplier management. The value of Hong Kong is not only that it sits next to Mainland China. Its strength lies

Expanding into China often raises one of the same questions for international companies: should we send someone from our existing team, or should we hire locally? For many businesses, hiring a local employee in China can be the more practical option. It can reduce relocation challenges, avoid a visa-led hiring route and give the company immediate access to people who understand the local market. An Employer of Record in China can make this possible without requiring the overs