Hong Kong Recognises Bursa Malaysia, Opening a Secondary-Listing Route for Malaysian Firms
The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong added Bursa Malaysia Securities to its list of Recognised Stock Exchanges, making it the 21st exchange on that list and the fourth in Asia, following Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. The move builds on a co-branded index HKEX and Bursa Malaysia launched in March 2026 tracking the 30 largest companies on each exchange, which opened an ETF Connect route for Malaysian equities to reach mainland Chinese investors.
Recognition lets companies already listed on Bursa Malaysia pursue secondary listings in Hong Kong under HKEX's streamlined requirements for recognised-exchange issuers. Malaysian government statements name Capital A Berhad — operator of AirAsia Move and the Santan food brand — as already eyeing a dual listing. The timing follows a strong run for Malaysian IPOs: Bursa Malaysia raised $1.41 billion through new listings in the first five months of 2026, already matching the full-year total for 2025.
Bitget Tells Singapore Users It Holds No MAS Licence, Sharpening a Split-Tier Crypto Market
Bitget issued a formal notice on July 22 confirming it is "not licensed, approved, registered, authorized or in any other way regulated" by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and that it will restrict access for Singapore-based users. The exchange remains on MAS's Investor Alert List, a registry of entities the regulator flags because the public might otherwise assume they carry regulatory approval.
The disclosure lands against a market where a small number of platforms already hold approvals for specific regulated digital-asset activities under the licensing framework MAS tightened in June 2025 in response to money-laundering and terrorism-financing concerns: Coinbase, OKX, Bitstamp and QCP Trading are named as current holders.
Thailand's H1 Investment Applications Jump 37% to $43.6 Billion, Led by Digital Infrastructure
Thailand's Board of Investment recorded $43.6 billion in investment applications across 1,299 projects in the first half of 2026, up 37% year-on-year. Digital-sector applications were the single largest category at $33 billion, which BOI attributes primarily to AI data-centre and digital-infrastructure investment.
Foreign direct investment applications rose 80% year-on-year to $40.5 billion across 877 projects. Singapore was by far the largest source, accounting for $33.2 billion across 158 projects — well ahead of the United Kingdom ($1.40 billion), China ($1.35 billion), Taiwan ($1.12 billion) and Japan ($970.1 million).
Eyes on the Day Ahead
Malaysia's Fintech Revolution Summit runs today, July 23, at the Crowne Plaza Kuala Lumpur City Centre — watch for reaction from Bursa-listed issuers to the HKEX recognition on the sidelines, ahead of Malaysia Blockchain Week's own gathering on July 29-30.
Layer 7 Ventures is a research-driven firm focused on AI and cryptocurrency in Southeast Asia. Views expressed are those of the firm and do not constitute investment advice.
