Citi Research says demand for Chinese AI hardware listings in Hong Kong remains resilient even as tech valuations cool
Wall Street has spent much of 2026 asking whether the world is overbuilding artificial intelligence. Hong Kong’s IPO market, according to Citi, has mostly answered with a shrug and a checkbook.
In commentary dated October 14, 2026, Citi Research said investor appetite for Chinese AI hardware companies listing in Hong Kong remains strong. That holds even as valuations pull back and global worries about AI overinvestment keep circulating.
According to Citi, interest from international investors is a major force behind the revival in Hong Kong IPO activity. Local liquidity and demand are also helping keep these listings stable, which gives the market support from more than one direction.
AI-related listings drove a sharp rise in Hong Kong IPO fundraising during the first nine months of 2026.
Citi also expects technology deals to push full-year proceeds to a record for 2026.
Some tech stocks have dropped 10% or more, whether from broader sector sell-offs or from the market’s reaction to specific IPOs.
Citi’s read is that this hasn’t happened for core hardware names. Demand for those supply-chain firms has stayed robust through the dips.
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Hong Kong’s capital markets have staged a notable rebound across 2025 and 2026. A string of AI and chip-related listings, plus follow-on offerings, has lifted IPO volumes above recent years.
High-profile tech IPOs have also helped boost overall equity market liquidity and activity in the city.
That recovery is unfolding under real pressure. Geopolitical tensions and export restrictions continue to affect the region, adding a layer of risk that a typical tech IPO in another market might not carry.
Against that backdrop, Citi frames Hong Kong as an increasingly central venue for AI and technology listings.
For investors, the more interesting signal is the split inside the AI trade. Concerns about overinvestment haven’t vanished, yet capital keeps flowing toward the firms that supply the hardware itself.
The research also points to optimism about bolstered market liquidity if record tech proceeds materialize.
Export restrictions could tighten further, squeezing the very hardware firms that investors are betting on.
Corrections of 10% or more have been absorbed so far, but a larger downturn would be a different stress test.