Securities and Futures Commission

Hong Kong individual licensing requirements

Map the named-person side of the application: approvals, representatives, competence, regulatory history, authority, availability, and supervision.

Individual requirements

  • - Licensed representatives for regulated functions
  • - At least two responsible officers for each regulated activity
  • - At least one responsible officer available at all times for each regulated activity
  • - Executive directors who supervise regulated activity generally need responsible officer approval

People evidence to prepare

  • - Role description matched to regulated activities and reporting lines.
  • - CV, regulatory history, disciplinary disclosures, exams, and competence evidence.
  • - Authority, time commitment, location, backup, and conflict notes.
  • - Supervision map showing how the individual controls or escalates regulated work.
  • - Public-register verification plan after approval or appointment.

Common bottlenecks

  • - Responsible officers without enough authority, availability, local experience, or activity-specific competence
  • - Business plans that do not match the regulated activities requested
  • - Weak financial resources calculations or unclear custody/client asset model
  • - Outsourcing, trading, conflicts, and AML controls drafted generically rather than around the proposed business