Regulatory Bodies

Welcome to the Hong Kong Bar Association (the "HKBA"). The HKBA is the organization regulating barristers in Hong Kong. Barristers are self-employed independent legal practitioners. They tend to offer specializations in areas of law, such as crime, family law, commercial law, administrative law, intellectual property, arbitration and many more beside. Nearly all barristers will hold themselves out to be specialized advocates, able to exercise rights of audience at all court levels. They provide legal services to the public upon referral by solicitors and through other bodies as permitted under the Bar’s Code of Conduct.

The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) is a company limited by guarantee and a non-profit organisation established under Hong Kong law. It is one of the world's leading dispute resolution organisations, specialising in arbitration, mediation, adjudication and domain name disputes resolution. HKIAC also offers state-of-the-art hearing facilities, which have been ranked first worldwide for location, value for money, IT services and helpfulness of staff.

The HKMA is the central banking institution of Hong Kong. In fulfilling our statutory mandate, our people contribute their expertise to the financial community and to Hong Kong. While the HKMA is an integral part of the Government, it employs staff on terms different from those of the civil service to attract personnel with the right experience and expertise. The staff members of the HKMA are public officers. As a public organisation, the HKMA makes continuous efforts to streamline its work to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The HKMA also aims to maintain a lean and flexible structure and, where possible, to redeploy staff resources to undertake new initiatives and meet the increasing workload.

In accordance with the Insurance Ordinance (Cap. 41), the principal function of the Insurance Authority ("IA") shall be to regulate and supervise the insurance industry for the promotion of the general stability of the insurance industry and for the protection of existing and potential policy holders. The Ordinance stipulates that the IA shall – be responsible for supervising an authorized insurer’s and a licensed insurance intermediary’s compliance with the provisions of the Ordinance; consider and propose reforms of the law relating to insurance business; promote and encourage the adoption of proper standards of conduct and sound and prudent business practices by authorized insurers; promote and encourage the adoption of proper standards of conduct by licensed insurance intermediaries; review and, if necessary, propose reforms of the systems for regulating authorized insurers and licensed insurance intermediaries; regulate the conduct of insurance intermediaries through a licensing regime; promote the understanding by policy holders and potential policy holders of insurance products and the insurance industry; formulate effective regulatory strategies and facilitate the sustainable market development of the insurance industry, and promote the competitiveness of the insurance industry in the global insurance market; conduct studies into matters affecting the insurance industry; assist the Financial Secretary in maintaining the financial stability of Hong Kong by taking appropriate measures in relation to the insurance industry; co-operate with and assist financial services supervisory authorities of Hong Kong or of any place outside Hong Kong, whenever appropriate, to the extent permitted by the Ordinance; liaise and co-operate with any involved supervisor in any place outside Hong Kong in the determination of the group supervisors of insurance groups; regulate and supervise insurance groups of which the IA is appointed as the group supervisor; and perform functions imposed or conferred on the IA by the Ordinance or any other Ordinance.

The Law Society is a professional association for solicitors in Hong Kong. It was incorporated in 1907 as a company limited by guarantee. AIM The aims of the Law Society are set out in its Memorandum of Association. In summary, they are as follows: to support and protect the character, status and interests of solicitors in Hong Kong to promote good standards of practice and maintain ethical practice to ensure compliance by solicitors with relevant laws, codes, regulations and practice directions to develop and maintain the work of solicitors in all areas of the law, legal practice and procedures to ensure the view of solicitors is accurately and purposefully communicated to provide services to its members to consider all questions affecting the interests of the profession, and to represent the profession to procure changes of law or practice

Vision The Council actively contributes to upholding and enhancing the rule of law by striving to ensure access to justice and equality before the law of people of limited means. Mission To ensure provision of high quality, efficient and effective legal aid services and to secure adequate funding therefor. To seek to improve continually the legal and administrative systems concerning and affecting the provision of legal aid. To help increase public awareness of legal aid. To keep under review the establishment of an independent legal aid authority.

The main functions of the Legislative Council are to enact, amend or repeal laws; examine and approve budgets, taxation and public expenditure; and raise questions on the work of the government. The Legislative Council is also given the power to endorse the appointment and removal of the judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge of the High Court, as well as the power to impeach the Chief Executive.

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is an independent statutory body set up in 1989 to regulate Hong Kong's securities and futures markets. We derive our investigative, remedial and disciplinary powers from the Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO) and subsidiary legislation. Operationally independent of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, we are funded mainly by transaction levies and licensing fees.

The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) is a statutory body established under the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (MPFSO).