The Hong Kong Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau implemented the first phase of enhanced requirements for licensed money lenders. The measures prohibit lenders from requesting loan referees and cap debt servicing ratios for unsecured personal loans at 35% for borrowers earning HKD 6,000 or less a month and 40% for those earning HKD 6,001 to HKD 12,000. A second phase will take effect on June 1, 2027. Money lenders offering unsecured personal loans will be required to submit borrowers’ personal credit information regularly to Credit Data Smart and meet specified participation requirements to access credit information when assessing loan applications.
Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (Hong Kong)2026-08-01
Hong Kong Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau implements loan referee ban and debt servicing ratio caps for licensed money lenders
Hong Kong has prohibited licensed money lenders from requesting loan referees and introduced debt servicing ratio caps of 35% or 40% for unsecured personal loans to lower-income borrowers. From June 1, 2027, affected lenders must submit borrower information to Credit Data Smart and meet specified requirements to access credit data for loan assessments.