8 simple Q&As introducing Real-world assets (RWA), tokenisation and the position of RWA valuation in asset digitisation.

10 simple Q&As addressing the financial impact of the abolition of the MPF-LSP offsetting mechanism. 
 

Director Kenneth Ma's work has been recently reviewed by by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as a proactive measure to assure public's confidence in valuation profession. 

In this article, we'll explore the capabilities of ChatGPT, compare it with the roles and responsibilities of human valuers, and discuss AI's potential advantages and limitations in the valuation process. Additionally, we will delve deeper into the hybrid approach that combines the strengths of human valuers and AI-driven tools like ChatGPT.
 

SPACs may become more popular than traditional IPOs in the near future. Both Hong Kong and Singapore are prompted to introduce SPACs in their capital markets. 

As an independent valuation review has been taking  a more influential role  in audit processes and fair value estimation of company asset and liabilities reporting, the corresponding industry standards is gaining more detailed attention from all valuers and other industry practitioners. A professional practitioner should always consider to obtain additional necessary assurance from experts in relevant professional field.

The first half of 2020 has been full of unexpected events.  COVID-19 has already infected more than 13 million people worldwide, and social distance measures have brought global economic activities to a halt. Other events, such as the oil price crash and the new wave of secondary listing in Hong Kong, further made the market to be extremely volatile.

Given the fluid nature of the pandemic, different stakeholders and practitioners in the business world are facing unprecedented challenges. Various regulators and industry organisations, including SFC, HKEX and IFRS Foundation hence published an amount of new guidance and technical notes, aiming to expand the regulatory focus amid economic uncertainties and market volatilities.

As the COVID-19 outbreak accelerates, how to deal with valuation uncertainty is one of the most concerning questions. At the same time, the International Valuation Standards (IVS) did not forbid valuations with uncertainties to be performed. 

Since late January 2020, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus has grasped the headlines of various media outlets across the globe. Big businesses in the PRC are either temporarily shutting down stores or advising staff to work from home. As a range of PRC companies listed in Hong Kong have been severely affected by the virus, on 30 January 2020, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEX) released a joint statement to remind all Hong Kong listed companies to inform the Exchange about how their businesses have been affected by the outbreak of coronavirus¹. Most PRC based listed companies have financial year ends on 31 December, and January through March is their busy period for the preparation of annual reports. However, current travel restrictions to and from PRC and Hong Kong have posed huge challenges for external auditors and also valuers, who often need to conduct on-site inspections and management interview for their work.
 

While financial performance is one of the grave concerns to an investor, which financial performance measure to look at has always been a challenge for investors.  Many would opt to start in tandem with audited financial statements as these are well governed with detailed verification work. However, we should not therefore extrapolate and conclude that audited financial statements are sufficient for making the right investment choice.

 

HKFRS 16 Leases has become effective since 1 January 2019 and replaced HKAS 17 Leases for lease accounting to specify the principles for recognition, measurement presentation and disclosure of leases. The new standard specifies that individual leases should be considered separately.

In response to the increasing demands for building consensus within the valuation industry, various valuation guidelines have been developed to suit different purposes, and to caterdifferent needs. Among them the International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation (IPEV) Guidelines and International Valuation Standards (IVS) are two of the most widely adopted standards in the private equity investments and accounting practices respectively.

On 4 July 2019, the SFC of Hong Kong issued the “Statement on the Conduct and Duties of Directors when Considering Corporate Acquisitions or Disposals”, reiterating the importance of independent professional valuations in relation to the fiduciary duties of the directors of public companies in their planned acquisitions or disposals. The authority particularly points out the importance of due diligence, which is an area that many valuation practitioners in Hong Kong do not possess the relevant expertise nor resources to advise and work on.

Most startups nowadays are involved in “New Economy” sectors such as fintech, biotech, tele-communications, medicines, shared economies, blockchain, and artificial intelligence.