The figure covers staff at more heavily regulated firms such as banks, brokers and asset managers. Only 30 per cent of the city’s finance professionals feel good about their retirement planning, and 33 per cent say their employer should do more to help them plan for the long term, according to the report, Investing in the Clear – Streamlining the Employee Personal Account Dealing (PAD) Experience at Financial Institutions.

PAD rules exist to prevent insider trading and manage conflicts of interest. In practice, employees must declare accounts, trade through approved brokers, seek approval for each trade and hold positions for minimum periods. Restricted lists and blackout periods can delay or block transactions, and the process restarts when staff change employers. The report finds that this burden, and the fear of an accidental breach, leads many to hold back from investing.

“The professionals who keep Hong Kong’s financial system running face three key pain points of limited choices, heightened risk, and an inferior investing experience in their end-to-end investment journey, as a result of strict personal account dealing (PAD) restrictions,” said Benjamin Quinlan, chief executive and managing partner of , reported more than $13 billion in group assets under advice as of June 2026. Its backers include UBS, Citi Ventures and MUFG Innovation Partners.