SFC CEO Julia Leung to remain in office for another two years: sources

The Hong Kong government is expected to renew the contract of Julia Leung Fung-yee as the CEO of the market regulator Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) for another two years, according to two separate sources.

Leung, a former journalist at The Asian Wall Street Journal, started her term as the first female head of the SFC in January 2023. Her current three-year term will expire at the end of this year, but sources familiar with the matter said the government would like her to serve another term for two years from January 2026.

The government expected Leung to continue to lead the SFC’s major financial regulatory projects, including Hong Kong’s listing reforms, the city’s development as a bond and yuan trading centre, and digital asset trading, according to a source.

During her first term, Leung had proven to be capable of carrying out the SFC’s regulatory reforms while promoting the city as an international financial centre, the source said.

An SFC spokesman declined to comment on Tuesday.

Although Leung would soon reach the age of 65, that was not an issue for renewing her contract because the regulator did not have a fixed retirement age for senior executives, another source said.