HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) announced on Tuesday that the number of listed companies in Hong Kong totaled 2,631, an increase of 22 companies since the beginning of 2024.

There were 71 new listings in 2024, of which 68 were on the main board and three on the Growth Enterprise Market, and a total of 49 stocks were delisted in 2024, showed the latest report by the HKEX.

On Tuesday, the last trading day of 2024, the Hang Seng Index closed at more than 20,000 points, marking an increase of approximately 17.7 percent after four straight years of losses.

Paul Chan, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, recently stated on social media that the total number of companies from the Chinese mainland and overseas based in Hong Kong is nearly 10,000, and the number of startups is close to 4,700, both up about 10 percent year-on-year and hitting new highs.