US trading powerhouse Susquehanna International Group is preparing for a major expansion in Hong Kong, with the firm looking to dramatically increase its office footprint as it positions itself to capitalize on China’s rapidly growing exchange-traded fund market.
The trading firm is seeking more than 50,000 square feet of office space in Hong Kong’s Central business district, potentially tripling the size of its existing premises and supporting an aggressive hiring drive, according to people familiar with the plans.
One option under consideration is a three-floor lease at Cheung Kong Center II, a newly redeveloped office tower in the heart of Central. The relocation has not been finalized, but the scale of the search signals how seriously the firm is expanding its presence in the Asian financial hub.
Susquehanna currently occupies less than 20,000 square feet at AIA Central and has about 70 employees in Hong Kong. The company has recently advertised more than 20 positions in the city, ranging from quantitative developers and engineers to researchers, compliance specialists and talent acquisition roles.
The expansion comes as China’s ETF market becomes increasingly attractive to global trading firms.
China’s onshore ETF market has grown rapidly, with assets surpassing 6 trillion yuan and the number of listed ETF products reaching more than 1,300. The growth has created new opportunities for market makers, which provide liquidity by continuously quoting buying and selling prices for ETF shares.
For firms such as Susquehanna, Hong Kong offers a strategic base for accessing Chinese markets while maintaining a global trading operation.
The company has long had a significant presence in Asia, with offices across the region including mainland China, Singapore, Tokyo and Mumbai. Its Asia headquarters is in Sydney.
Susquehanna is also known for its quantitative trading expertise and its early investment in ByteDance, the Chinese technology company behind TikTok. Its businesses span proprietary trading, institutional brokerage, quantitative research and private investments.
The planned Hong Kong expansion comes as other major global trading firms are also increasing their presence in the city.
Jane Street and IMC Group have expanded their Hong Kong operations, adding to a broader revival in demand for premium office space among hedge funds, quantitative trading companies and financial institutions.
The trend marks a striking change for Hong Kong’s commercial property market, which endured years of weak demand, high vacancy rates and falling rents following political unrest, the pandemic and a prolonged slowdown in China’s economy.
That picture is now beginning to change.
Hong Kong’s financial markets have staged a powerful comeback in 2026, driven in part by a surge in initial public offerings. The city raised roughly US$83.5 billion through IPOs and other fundraising activity during the first eight months of the year, a sharp increase from the same period previously.
More than 400 companies have also established or expanded operations in Hong Kong during the first half of 2026, bringing billions of dollars in expected investment and thousands of jobs.
The recovery is feeding directly into the office market.
Demand for Grade A office space in Central has strengthened, with vacancy rates declining while rents for prime properties have begun to recover. Quantitative funds and hedge funds are among the companies seeking larger, contiguous floor plates that can accommodate expansion.
Susquehanna’s planned move therefore represents more than a corporate real-estate decision.
It is a sign that global trading firms increasingly see Hong Kong as an important gateway to China’s financial markets at a time when Beijing is gradually opening more areas of its capital markets to international participation.
The ETF sector could become particularly important.
Market makers are essential to ETF trading because they provide liquidity and help ensure investors can buy and sell shares efficiently. As China’s ETF industry expands, demand for sophisticated trading firms capable of handling large volumes and complex strategies is expected to grow.
For Susquehanna, securing more space and expanding its workforce could allow the company to position itself ahead of that growth.
The move also highlights Hong Kong’s continuing importance in the US-China financial relationship despite broader geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing.
While trade restrictions, technology controls and tensions over access to advanced computing technology continue to complicate US-China relations, financial markets remain an area where Hong Kong can serve as a bridge between international capital and China’s expanding investment ecosystem.
The renewed appetite for office space among trading firms is therefore becoming one of the clearest signs that Hong Kong’s financial revival is gaining momentum.
If Susquehanna follows through with the proposed expansion, the firm could more than double its physical presence in Central while significantly increasing its Hong Kong workforce.
And with China’s ETF market continuing to grow, the message from Wall Street and global trading firms is becoming increasingly clear: Hong Kong is once again being viewed not simply as a regional financial centre, but as a strategic launchpad for the next phase of China’s capital-market boom.
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