Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) welcomes the proposals outlined in the Hong Kong SAR Government budget for the April 2014 to March 2015 fiscal year aimed at further strengthening the competitiveness of the Hong Kong financial market.

"The proposals outlined today will help enhance our securities market and sharpen our competitiveness," said HKEx chief executive Charles Li.  "In particular, waiving the stamp duty on the trading of all ETFs will reduce the trading cost of ETFs with a higher percentage of Hong Kong stocks in their portfolios.  We believe the proposal will help promote the development, management and trading of ETFs in Hong Kong and will benefit the overall development of the market."

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