Mainland customers can still open bank accounts in Hong Kong, but banks must adopt stringent new checks to ensure their processes are “compliant and orderly”, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said in a statement on Saturday. “The banking industry has implemented the new regulatory requirements set out in the HKMA circular to ensure the…
Hong Kong’s annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival drew more than 10,000 visitors by noon on Sunday, including tourists who had travelled specially to witness the signature parade featuring “floating” children dressed as Middle Eastern oil moguls and judges. Visitors to the outlying island on Sunday splurged on frozen pineapples, watermelon juice and frozen mango mochi…
After years of debate over whether claw and pinball machines encourage high-stakes gambling, Hong Kong has finally proposed stricter oversight to curb gaming, particularly among teenagers. Cases of addiction linked to these machines are rising in the city, but drawing a clear distinction between gaming and gambling remains difficult. As Hong Kong prepares to amend…
A tourist has shared photos of herself holding a MacLehose Trail sign apparently removed from its metal stand during the Labour Day “golden week” holiday, drawing criticism from Hong Kong internet users. In one of two photos posted on her RedNote account, “2 star”, on Monday, the woman is seen holding the wooden panel, with…
Hong Kong expects about 980,000 mainland Chinese visitors over the Labour Day “golden week” holiday from May 1 to 5, a 7 per cent increase from last year. Instead of rushing through major attractions, many travellers are opting for slower, highly curated itineraries centred on exhibitions, neighbourhood walks and carefully timed photo spots – trends…
Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has received dozens of complaints after Taiwanese rock band Mayday cancelled one of its coming concerts at Kai Tak Sports Park and replaced it with a new date later in the week, sparking frustration among fans – particularly those travelling from mainland China and overseas. The Consumer Council said that as…
Hongkongers made more than 1.4 million outbound trips over the Lunar New Year holiday, increasing by 20 per cent compared with 2019, while the number of arrivals over the same period remained lower than pre-pandemic levels. Immigration Department data released on Friday showed that from Lunar New Year’s Eve to the third day of the…
A souvenir shop in Hong Kong has taken down lettering from its viral wall featuring designs nearly identical to MTR station signage amid concerns over possible trademark and copyright infringement. The MTR Corporation on Sunday declined to say whether the move by the Causeway Bay store was done at its request. The company “attaches great…
Advertisements for potentially illegal mainland Chinese cleaning services targeting Hong Kong households ahead of Lunar New Year remain available on social media platform RedNote despite recent arrests by the city’s immigration authorities, the South China Morning Post has found. Checks by the SCMP on RedNote found several suspected illegal posts promoting domestic cleaning services in…
Hong Kong authorities have arrested two men and two women in an undercover operation for allegedly working in the city illegally as cleaners and renovation workers, after mainland Chinese firms advertised the services online ahead of Lunar New Year. Immigration Department Task Force Deputy Commander Chan Yan-kit said on Friday that the operation was conducted…