Taking reference to compliance development of other stock exchanges, previous consultations, and years of corporate governance reports review results, HKEX would like to introduce a series of listing rules amendments. A consultation paper has been published in June2024 to collect market’s feedback. According to the consultation paper, except for the proposed amendment in relation to long serving independent non-executive director(“INED”) and overboarding with a three-year transition period starting January 2028, other amendments will take effect since January 2025. Most amendments are newly introduced practices, and thus companies are recommended to arrange resources promptly to prepare for the new compliance requirements by 2025.
 
<a href="../../../../../uploads/Amendments_to_the_Hong_Kong_Stock_Exchange_s_Corporate_Governance_Code_and_Related_Listing_Rules_V6_e6b9c5f6f4.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the summary now</a>
<a href="../../../../../uploads/Amendments_to_the_Hong_Kong_Stock_Exchange_s_Corporate_Governance_Code_and_Related_Listing_Rules_V6_e6b9c5f6f4.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="../../../../../uploads/Screenshot_2024_06_26_at_10_47_11_AM_313be3145b.png" width="500" /></a>

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Amendments to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Corporate Governance Code and Related Listing Rules

The International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) has published the Exposure Draft on Business Combinations — Disclosures, Goodwill and Impairment (the “Exposure Draft”) in March 2024, proposing changes to IFRS 3 and IAS 36 to improve the information provide to investors in order to help investors better assess management’s decision to make an acquisition and the performance of that acquisition. Companies should pay attention to the potential impact of the Exposure Draft and ensure their compliance with the latest rules and disclosure requirements.
 
<a href="../../../../../uploads/IASB_Exposure_Draft_on_Business_Combinations_Disclosures_Goodwill_and_Impairment_V3_79e696e4f5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the report now</a>
<a href="../../../../../uploads/IASB_Exposure_Draft_on_Business_Combinations_Disclosures_Goodwill_and_Impairment_V3_79e696e4f5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="../../../../../uploads/Publication_Cover_EN_181fce7bbb.png" width="500" /></a>

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IASB Exposure Draft on  Business Combinations — Disclosures, Goodwill and Impairment

The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “HKEX”) has published the Guide for New Listing Applicants (the “Guide”), effective from 1 January 2024, introducing the new chapter on prospectus disclosure requirements and guidance in relation to Corporate Governance and Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) (Chapter4.3 of the Guide). Listing applicants should pay attention to the impact of the Guide on the contents of the prospectus, in order to timely assess and optimize the proposed listing timetable.
 
<a href="../../../../../uploads/HKEX_s_Latest_Prospectus_Disclosure_Requirements_on_Corporate_Governance_and_Environmental_Social_and_Governance_under_the_Guide_for_New_Listing_Applicants_V6_5de8f68b61.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the report now</a>
<a href="../../../../../uploads/HKEX_s_Latest_Prospectus_Disclosure_Requirements_on_Corporate_Governance_and_Environmental_Social_and_Governance_under_the_Guide_for_New_Listing_Applicants_V6_5de8f68b61.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="../../../../../uploads/Screenshot_2024_01_19_at_6_41_52_PM_e6c9255108.png" width="500" /></a>

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HKEX’s Latest Prospectus Disclosure Requirements on Corporate Governance & Environmental, Social and Governance under the Guide for New Listing Applicants 

As a guidance and enhanced regulations on the compliance audit activities of personal information protection, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued "Administrative Measures for the Personal Information Protection Compliance Audit (Comment Draft)” and the annex of "Reference Points for Compliance Audit of Personal Information Protection" for public comments.
 
Avista extracted some key provisions, with additional interpretation in terms of internal control, to provide personal information processors a better understanding for the regulatory requirements of the personal information protection-related compliance audit.
 
<a href="../../../../../uploads/Highlights_of_the_Compliance_Audit_Requirement_in_the_Administrative_Measures_for_the_Personal_Information_Protection_Compliance_Audit_Comment_Draft_4a2daaddc3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the report now</a>
<a href="../../../../../uploads/Highlights_of_the_Compliance_Audit_Requirement_in_the_Administrative_Measures_for_the_Personal_Information_Protection_Compliance_Audit_Comment_Draft_4a2daaddc3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="../../../../../uploads/Screenshot_2023_11_10_at_2_57_02_PM_69620af56e.png" width="500" /></a>

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Highlights of the Compliance Audit Requirement in the “Administrative Measures for the Personal Information Protection Compliance Audit (Comment Draft)”

In October 2023, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited issued a guidance letter on the "Disclosure of the Basis of Consideration and Business Valuations in Notifiable Transactions”. The guidance letter emphasizes the need for listed companies to provide adequate explanation of the basis for determining the consideration of the transaction by disclosing sufficient and objective information in the disclosure documents, and provides guidance on the recommended disclosures.
 
<a href="../../../../../uploads/HK_Ex_Guidance_Letter_on_Disclosure_of_the_Basis_of_Consideration_and_Business_Valuation_in_Notifiable_Transactions_ab6483414a.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the report now</a>
 
<a href="../../../../../uploads/HK_Ex_Guidance_Letter_on_Disclosure_of_the_Basis_of_Consideration_and_Business_Valuation_in_Notifiable_Transactions_ab6483414a.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="../../../../../uploads/Screenshot_2023_11_01_at_2_19_25_PM_a091602f0e.png" width="500" /></a>

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HKEx Guidance Letter on Disclosure of the Basis of Consideration and Business Valuation in Notifiable Transactions

On August 21, 2023, the Ministry of Finance officially released the "Interim Provisions on Accounting Treatment of Enterprise Data Resources" ("Provisions"), which will be implemented from January 1, 2024. In response to this, under the guidance of the Ministry of Finance, the China Appraisal Society issued the "Guidelines on Data Assets Valuation" ("Guidelines") on September 8, 2023, which will be implemented from October 1, 2023. Against this backdrop, the valuation of data assets faces new challenges, and data assets’ valuation has become an indispensable and crucial link in promoting data capitalization and the development of the data assets market.
 
<a href="../../../../uploads/Overview_of_Data_Assets_Valuation_Methods_bab064ce42.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the report now</a>
 
<a href="../../../../uploads/Overview_of_Data_Assets_Valuation_Methods_bab064ce42.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="../../../../uploads/Screenshot_2023_10_31_at_10_44_12_AM_4443d8773f.png" width="500" height="709" /></a>

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Overview of Data Assets Valuation Methods

In July 2023, the Securities and Futures Commissions ("SFC") and the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council ("AFRC") issued the first joint statement highlighting common regulatory concerns regarding loans, advances and prepayments arrangements for listed issuers.
 
Listed companies are advised to consider the Statement as an official guideline and evaluate their internal controls and implement necessary enhancements to align with the recommended practices.  
 
<a href="../../../../../uploads/AVISTA_Insights_20230731_83e33f2d49.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the summary of the Statement now</a>
 
<a href="../../../../../uploads/AVISTA_Insights_20230731_83e33f2d49.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="../../../../../uploads/cover_EN_01_9790eb32a7.png" alt="" width="400" height="564" /></a>

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