Charltons

Home
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Charltons

Hong Kong corporate finance law firm Charltons is a leading Hong Kong law firm.

Charltons focuses on corporate finance and provides cutting edge legal advice to Hong Kong and international clients. The firm’s practice covers corporate finance, public and private M&A, regulatory and compliance, securities and virtual assets, private equity, venture capital, asset management and funds, family offices, public policy, trade and tariffs and company and commercial advice. As one of

Hong Kong’s leading focused corporate finance legal practices Charltons’ global outlook coupled with significant experience and track record in deal making for PRC and international clients give Charltons the strengths to handle complex cross border transactions. Charltons is recognized as the “Jurisdictional Firm of the Year: Hong Kong SAR” by the IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards in 2023 and 2024. Charltons firm won the ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2024 as the “Transactional Boutique Law Firm of the Year” and the ALB Pan Asian Regulatory Awards 2024 as the “Regulatory Law Firm of the Year (North & South Asia)”. The firm is also ranked by Chambers Greater China Region for Corporate/M&A: Independent Hong Kong Firms from 2018 to 2025; and by Legal 500 for Commercial, corporate and M&A: independent Hong Kong law firms; Banking and finance; Corporate (including M&A); and Capital markets (equity) from 2022 to 2025. AsiaLaw highly recommends Charltons for Capital markets, Corporate and M&A, Private equity, Investment funds, Technology and telecommunications, Regulatory, Consumer goods and services, Restructuring and insolvency from 2021 to 2024; and IFLR1000 for Banking, Capital Markets: Debt, Capital Markets: Equity, Financial services regulatory, M&A, Restructuring and insolvency and Retail funds from 2020 to 2024.

28/05/2026

Kim Larkin was delighted to represent Charltons at the Avrio Advocati Spring Conference, held in Bonn, Germany on 22nd–23rd May 2025.

The three-day conference featured a rich programme of sessions, with artificial intelligence and its implications for legal practice taking centre stage. Standout presentations included Dr. Ralf Schadowski of Schadowski Consulting GmbH on the use of AI in law firms in the context of the GDPR; Dr. Peter Schichl, Chief Legal Tech Officer at Deutsche Telekom AG, on AI in the legal department of a DAX corporation; Dr. Jan-Felix Kumkar and Johannes Heid of Kumkar & Co. Rechtsanwälte PartG mbB on the Agentic Law Firm; Dr. Ansgar Kalle of the Institute for Labour Law and Social Security Law on liability risks when using AI in legal practice; and Emmett Maginn, Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution at Caldwell & Robinson, on advising clients in the AI era.

We also warmly welcome the three new member firms who were introduced at the conference: E & G Economides LLC (Cyprus), PHH (Austria), and bgbg (Mexico). We look forward to working with you all!

A heartfelt thank you to Matthias Arens, Elisabeth Hohenhaus and Alexander-Roger Börner of host firm Eimer Heuschmid Mehle, and to Sinead Lynch, for their tremendous hard work in organising such an excellent and well-run event.

Read more: https://www.charltonslaw.com/charltons-attends-avrio-advocati-spring-conference-in-bonn/

27/05/2026

The FSTB has published a sweeping package of regulatory changes to the Money Lenders Ordinance (Cap. 163) and the licensing conditions attached to money lenders’ licences, the most significant overhaul of the sector in years

Read more: https://www.charltonslaw.com/hong-kongs-money-lending-reforms/

26/05/2026

Charltons is pleased to share that Julia Charlton, Founding Partner of Charltons Law, will be speaking at the The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong on Tuesday, 26 May 2026.

The panel session, “From IPO Crown to Listing Reset: Inside ’s Boldest Reform in a Decade,” brings together leading voices including Renu Bhatia, former Chairperson of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) Listing Committee, Paul Malam, Head of Listing Policy at HKEX, and moderator Richard Winter, a respected Hong Kong capital markets figure. Together, they will explore the regulatory changes shaping the next phase of Hong Kong’s listings landscape.

For more information visit: https://lnkd.in/gEk2TT2A

18/05/2026

Hong Kong’s regulators have been active across enforcement, licensing and policy in April 2026. Beyond enforcement, this update addresses the HKMA’s grant of the first stablecoin issuer licences under the Stablecoins Ordinance, the SFC’s ASPIRe digital asset roadmap progress and the SFC Chairman’s remarks on AI and the future of licensed intermediary competence.

Read more: https://www.charltonslaw.com/hong-kong-april-2026-regulatory-update/

15/05/2026

Kim Larkin was delighted to represent Charltons at the Legalink Global Network of Independent Law Firms Spring General Meeting in Budapest hosted for a second time by Budapest member firm Szecskay Attorneys at Law.

As always at Legalink general meetings, the hosts organised a fascinating line-up of speakers: Mishcon’s Nick West spoke on AI in legal practice; Dr. Reka Szemerkenyi delivered a thought-provoking talk on geopolitics and economics; and Fruzsina Tari, Head of Legal at 4iG Space and Defence Plc, and Balazs Bartoki-Gonczy PhD, Vice-Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of the Institute of Aerospace and Telecommunications Law at Ludovika University of Public Service, discussed space and defence law including the extraterritorial reach of the EU Space Act.

Tremendous thanks to hosts Andras Szecskay, Judit Budai and their team, Legalink president Sonia Abraham and Legalink officers Maria de Sa Nogueira and Kamle Hassian for their hard work in organising such a successful and enjoyable conference. Welcome to new members RKKW (Poland) and Klauberg Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) further increasing the geographic spread of the network. Break out meetings of the Asia-Pacific member firms and the Fintech, Natural Resources, Energy and Environment, and M&A, Restructuring and Insolvency practice groups provided opportunities to connect with network firms on common practice areas and discuss potential referrals.

Read more: https://www.charltonslaw.com/charltons-attends-legalink-spring-general-meeting-in-budapest/

13/05/2026

On 17 April 2026, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited published a Consultation Paper on Accelerated Settlement for the Hong Kong Cash Market proposing to shorten the settlement cycle for the Hong Kong cash market from the current T+2 to T+1, with an indicative implementation date of the fourth quarter of 2027

Read more: https://www.charltonslaw.com/hkex-consults-on-t1-settlement/

06/05/2026

In 2025, Hong Kong reclaimed its crown as the world’s top IPO venue — but the surge in applications also exposed serious quality concerns in sponsor work. This recorded webinar breaks down:

• The SFC’s landmark Sponsor Circular (30 Jan 2026) and its strict new requirements on principal capacity, examination compliance, and management accountability
• The HKEX Consultation Paper (13 Mar 2026) proposing major competitive reforms — including confidential filing for all applicants and a strengthened “naming and shaming” return mechanism for all professional advisers
• Practical implications for sponsors, legal advisers, accountants, and listing applicants
• Key deadlines: 30 April 2026 (internal reviews) and 8 May 2026 (consultation submissions)

Watch the full recording now: https://www.charltonslaw.com/hong-kong-law/required-standards-of-sponsor-work-on-hong-kong-ipos-and-hkexs-consultation-on-reforms-to-increase-competitiveness/

27/04/2026

The HKEX published its Consultation Conclusions on Review of Chapter 15A – Structured Products in April 2026 setting out the amendments to the Rules Governing the HKEX Listing Rules following the public consultation on the proposals included in the HKEX’s Consultation Paper on Review of Chapter 15A – Structured Products published on 30 September 2025

Read more: https://www.charltonslaw.com/hkex-overhauls-listing-rules-chapter-15a-on-structured-products/

25/04/2026

On 10 April 2026, the HKMA confirmed that it has granted the first two stablecoin issuer licences under the Hong Kong Stablecoins Ordinance (Cap. 566) to Anchorpoint Financial Limited, a joint venture established by Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, HKT and Animoca Brands (Anchorpoint) and HSBC

Read more: https://www.charltonslaw.com/hkma-issues-first-stablecoin-issuer-licences/

24/04/2026

The HKEX published its Consultation Conclusions on Review of Chapter 15A – Structured Products in April 2026 setting out the amendments to the HKEX Listing Rules following the public consultation on the proposals included in the HKEX’s Consultation Paper on Review of Chapter 15A – Structured Products published on 30 September 2025

Read more: https://lnkd.in/gCj7k8uG

18/04/2026

When Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan unveiled the 2026/27 Budget in late February, the headlines predictably fixated on the familiar arithmetic of deficits, relief measures and fiscal consolidation

Read more: https://www.charltonslaw.com/hong-kongs-strategic-pivot-reading-between-the-2026-27-budget-lines/

Address

12th Floor Dominion Centre, 43-59 Queen’s Road East
Hong Kong

Telephone

+85229057888

Website

https://www.charltonslaw.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Charltons posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Law Practice in Hong Kong?