HONG KONG: Asia’s equity capital markets are expected to have another outstanding year in 2026, building on a surge that pushed the region to the forefront of global share sales.
Share listings, placements and block trades across Asia Pacific raised US$262.7bil in 2025, the most in four years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
For the first time, four of the world’s five busiest deal venues were in the region, fuelled by Hong Kong’s sharp rebound and India’s second straight year of record initial public offerings (IPOs).
Long-dormant IPO plans are coming back to life, and 2026 is expected to feature major offerings from corporate giant Baidu Inc, tech upstart Zepto Ltd, artificial intelligence leader ChangXin Memory Technologies Inc and Coca-Cola Co’s India bottling unit.
As with 2025, Hong Kong listings of Chinese firms already traded in mainland China will keep filling the pipeline.
Hong Kong listings may raise as much as US$45bil in 2026, according to estimates by KPMG LLP. If that holds, it would mark the biggest haul in six years.
Indian IPOs, meanwhile, may notch a third straight annual record, bankers said. — Bloomberg
