Katherine Li

Merrill Lynch Far East Ltd. is the stockbroking subsidiary of Merrill Lynch HK Services Ltd., ultimately owned by Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) in the US. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the firm was founded in 2003 and offers a broad range of brokerage services to institutional investors.

Northwestern University is a private institution founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, an area that now includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. Northwestern has three campuses

First Shanghai Securities Ltd. is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in Hong Kong. The firm was founded in 1999 and is subsidiary of First Shanghai Financial Holding Ltd., which is owned by First Shanghai Investments Ltd. (HKG: 0227). First Shanghai Securities provides securities trading services in the Hong Kong financial market. They are also actively engaged in share placement and IPO subscription activities, custodian and nominee services, as well as the newly launched futures trading operation.

Nomura International (Hong Kong) Ltd. (Nomura International HK) is the brokerage subsidiary of Nomura Asia Pacific Holdings Co. Ltd., which is ultimately-owned by Nomura Holdings, Inc. (TYO: 8604) in Japan. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the firm’s global markets team offers research, sales and trading of global securities to a diverse range of clients globally, including institutional investors, financial institutions, corporates, financial sponsors and government entities. Nomura International HK operates a truly integrated, cross-asset platform which includes research, sales and trading in equities, currencies, rates and credit in cash and derivative products.

UOB Kay Hian (Hong Kong) Ltd. (UOB Hong Kong) is a broker-dealer headquartered in Hong Kong. The firm is a subsidiary of UOB Kay Hian Overseas Ltd., which is owned by UOB-Kay Hian Holdings Ltd. (SGX: U10) in Singapore. UOB Hong Kong offers brokerage and trading services to various investors. They provide a comprehensive suite of investment products from Equities, Futures, Options, Bonds to OTC products that caters to different investment objectives.

China Merchants Securities (HK) Co., Ltd. is a Chinese company that provides brokerage services. It is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong and ultimately controlled by the Government of China. The company was founded in 1986.

Part of Everbright Securities Co., Ltd., Everbright Securities Global (HK) Ltd. is a Chinese company that provides brokerage services. The company is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Oscar Wu has been the CEO of the company since 2020.

Citigroup Global Markets Asia Ltd. (CGMA) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered Hong Kong. They are a subsidiary of Citigroup Global Markets Hong Kong Holdings Ltd., ultimately owned by Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C) in the US. Formerly known as Citi Smith Barney, the firm was reorganized in 2008 when Citigroup combined their brokerage and private banking businesses. CGMA offers stock trading services to various institutional investors.

Zhongtian Guofu Securities Co., Ltd. engages in the provision of investment banking brokerage services. Its business activities include equity underwriting and sponsorship, bond financing, mergers and acquisitions, and related financial consulting services. the company was founded on September 13, 2004 and is headquartered in Shanghai, China.

Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC (GS-Asia) is the Hong Kong-based brokerage subsidiary of Goldman Sachs Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd., ultimately owned by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS), a multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1984, GS-Asia provides market insight, risk management and execution services to institutional clients which includes asset managers, hedge funds, banks and brokerages, pensions, endowments and foundations, corporations, and governments.

Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is the government authority in Hong Kong which was established in 1993 by merging the Office of the Exchange Fund with the Office of the Commissioner of Banking. The HKMA reports to the Financial Secretary and is responsible for maintaining Hong Kong's monetary and banking stability. Based in Hong Kong, the Authority aims to keep the Hong Kong dollar stable by managing the Exchange Fund (Hong Kong's official reserves) in a sound and effective way, to promote the safety of Hong Kong's banking system and to develop Hong Kong's financial infrastructure to enable money to flow smoothly, freely and without obstruction. The Exchange Fund's statutory roles include affecting the exchange value of the currency of Hong Kong and maintaining the stability and integrity of the monetary and financial systems, with a view to maintaining Hong Kong as an international financial center. The HKMA manages the Exchange Fund, ensuring that the fund meets its statutory roles and actively managing the fund's assets, mainly held in the form of foreign denominated interest-bearing instruments and equities. To meet the operational needs of the Government, part of the Exchange Fund is also held in Hong Kong dollar denominated securities. The Exchange Fund is managed as two distinct portfolios. The first is a Backing Portfolio to ensure that the monetary base related to the Currency Board operations is fully backed by highly liquid, short-term U.S. dollar denominated interest-bearing securities. The second is an Investment Portfolio to preserve the fund's value for future generations in Hong Kong.

BOCOM International Securities Ltd. (BISL) is the wholly-owned brokerage subsidiary of BOCOM International Holdings Co. Ltd., itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. (PK: BCMXY) in China. The firm was created in 2007 when BCOM Securities Co. Ltd., restructured and became BOCOM International Holdings Co., Ltd., establishing BOCOM International-Asia, BOCOM International Securities Ltd., and BOCOM International Asset Management Ltd. as wholly-owned subsidiaries, each specifically designed to focus on their unique businesses. Based in Hong Kong, BISL specializes in providing platforms for securities, futures, contracts trading and margin financing business activities. Clients can place trading instructions directly to investment advisors via designated telephone lines, including a secured on-line trading platform for both securities and futures contracts. As a member of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the firm provides direct execution via the AMS/3 System to their clients for all Hong Kong listed shares.

Daiwa Capital Markets (Hong Kong) Ltd. (Daiwa HK) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered Hong Kong. The firm is a subsidiary of Daiwa Capital Markets Asia Holding BV, ultimately owned by Daiwa Securities Group, Inc. (TYO: 8601) in Japan. Founded in 1970, Daiwa HK offers brokerage services to an established international client base.

Standard Chartered Securities (Hong Kong) Ltd. (Standard Chartered HK) is the brokerage subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Ltd., which is owned by Standard Chartered Plc (LON: STAN), a multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in London, UK. Standard Chartered HK offers online securities trading services.

Jefferies Hong Kong Ltd. is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in Hong Kong. The firm is a subsidiary of Jefferies Group LLC, which is owned by Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF) in the US. Jefferies Hong Kong is a client-focused full-service sales, trading and capital markets platform across all equity and fixed income securities. They provide an array of trading and execution services for their clients.

Guosen Securities (HK) Brokerage Co., Ltd. (Guosen Securities HK) is the brokerage subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Guosen Securities (HK) Financial Holdings Co., Ltd., which is wholly-owned by Guosen Securities Co., Ltd. (SHE: 002736), a state-owned financial services company headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Guosen Securities HK provides comprehensive range of businesses, such as securities trading and distribution, commodities trading and futures trading to retail and institutional clients.

RHB Securities Hong Kong Ltd. (RHBHK) is a brokerage firm headquartered in Hong Kong. The firm was founded in 2013 and is owned by RHB Hong Kong Ltd., ultimately held by RHB Bank Bhd. (KLSE: RHBBANK) in Malaysia. RHBHK provides stock broking and derivatives trading services catering both retail clients and institutional investors.

Part of Argonaut Ltd., Argonaut Securities (Asia) Ltd. is a technically driven investment house with corporate, stockbroking, research, and special situations financing capability. The company is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. The Chinese company is focused on Metals & Mining, Energy, Agribusiness, Businesses, and Contractors that service the natural resource sector, as well as select Industrial companies with market capitalizations between $30 million and $5 billion. The CEO of the company is Travis Smithson.

Part of SAS Rue la Boétie, Credit Agricole Securities (Asia) Ltd is a Chinese company that works on various corporates' projects such as initial public offerings, privatisations, capital increases, and issues of convertible bonds and other equity-linked securities. The company is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. The company is a part of Group Crédit Agricole's integrated finance and investment banking, asset servicing, and wealth management offering for large clients. Frederik Jean Lucien Coyault has been the CEO of the company since 2017. Credit Agricole Securities (Asia was acquired by Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank SA from NatWest Group Plc on November 25, 2016.

China Galaxy International Securities (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. (CGIS HK) is the Hong Kong-based brokerage subsidiary of China Galaxy International Financial Holdings Ltd., ultimately held by state-owned China Investment Corp., a sovereign wealth company headquartered in China. CGIS HK provides proprietary trading and trading agent for various marketable securities.

Part of NatWest Group Plc, Royal Bank of Scotland China Co. Ltd. is a Chinese company that provides banking services. The company is based in Shanghai, China.