Guides / City guides / Hong Kong
Break into investment banking in Hong Kong.
Asia’s biggest banking hub, built around IPOs and China-focused deals. Classes are small, Mandarin often matters, and junior pay leads the region.
The Hong Kong recruiting year.
Global banks recruit Asia interns on a clock much like London’s, with penultimate-year students applying in summer and autumn.
- July–September
Summer internship portals open
Global banks open Asia summer analyst programmes for penultimate-year students, often reviewing on a rolling basis.
What to do: Have your CV, target list and technicals ready by early summer.
- September–November
Deadlines and online tests
Most large banks close in the autumn. Numerical tests and video interviews come quickly after you apply.
What to do: Apply early, and practise timed numerical tests now.
- November–February
Interviews and assessment centres
Technical and fit interviews, often with a language component for China-focused teams.
What to do: If you speak Mandarin or Cantonese, practise answering technical questions in it too.
- June–August
Summer internship
Around ten weeks on live deals, often heavy on equity capital markets work. Most graduate offers come from here.
What to do: Treat it as a ten-week interview.
- Year-round
Off-cycle internships
Hong Kong has many three-to-six-month off-cycle roles, especially at boutiques and Chinese investment banks.
What to do: Use them as a way in if you missed the main cycle.
- Final year
Graduate programmes
A smaller number of direct graduate places for those who missed the internship route.
What to do: Widen your list to Chinese and regional banks.
Typical windows only. Exact dates vary by bank each year.
Ways in.
Summer internship
The main route to a graduate analyst offer at global banks.
Off-cycle internship
Three to six months. Common at boutiques and Chinese firms.
Graduate programme
Direct entry, with far fewer places than the internship route.
Lateral from Big 4 or onshore
Transaction services, audit or mainland securities firms can be a bridge.
Who hires in Hong Kong.
Apply to global, Chinese and boutique firms. Language skills open up many more teams.
| Tier | Examples | Why apply |
|---|---|---|
| Global banks | Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, Citi, UBS, HSBC | The most international classes and global deal flow. |
| Chinese investment banks | CICC, CITIC Securities, Huatai International, BOCI | Large IPO and China deal flow. Mandarin is usually expected. |
| Boutiques and others | Lazard, Rothschild & Co, Moelis, Jefferies, Macquarie, Nomura | Smaller teams and more off-cycle hiring. |
Much of junior work in Hong Kong is equity capital markets, especially IPOs. Know how an IPO works before you interview.
Are you Hong Kong-ready?
Tick what you’ve done. Be honest: interviewers will find out.
The Hong Kong selection process.
- Online application, often reviewed on a rolling basis.
- Online tests and a recorded video interview.
- Technical and fit interviews, sometimes including a language check.
- Assessment centre or superday with a case study.
Visas and work rights.
Non-local students who graduate from a full-time degree in Hong Kong can usually stay and work under the IANG scheme for an initial 24 months without needing a job offer first.
Graduates from overseas universities usually need an employer-sponsored employment visa, and some top-university graduates may qualify for the Top Talent Pass Scheme. Check the Immigration Department’s current rules.
Test yourself: Hong Kong
Questions from the Mandate app. Try each before you open it.
Hong Kong’s stock exchange (HKEX) is known for…
Being one of the world’s busiest IPO markets. ECM is a major part of Hong Kong banking.
Which regulator oversees Hong Kong’s securities markets?
The SFC. The Securities and Futures Commission.
Which language is a major advantage for many Hong Kong banking teams?
Mandarin. Cantonese is useful for local clients too.
Hong Kong’s main stock index is…
The Hang Seng. It tracks the largest companies listed on HKEX.
Get ready before applications open.
Mandate covers the technicals every Hong Kong interview starts with, plus IPO and capital markets basics, with unlimited AI mock interviews.