Meridians: The number of new building mortgages in Hong Kong in April was 3446, a decrease of 14.2% compared to the previous month, hitting a new low in 5 months.

mReferral Mortgage Brokerage Services' Referral Research Department and the latest data from the Hong Kong Land Registry show that in April 2025, the number of new mortgage loans for existing buildings was 3,446, a decrease of 569 (14.2%) from 4,015 in March, marking a two-month consecutive decline and reaching a 5-month low. The number of mortgage loans for new properties in that month was 467, a decrease of 242 (34.1%) from 709 in March, after a 4-month consecutive increase, reaching a 3-month low. Compared to the same period last year, the number of mortgage loans for existing buildings in April 2025 decreased by 720 (17.3%) from 4,166 in April 2024, and the number of mortgage loans for new properties increased by 281 (151.1%) from 186 in April 2024. In comparison with the first 4 months of 2025, the number of mortgage loans for existing buildings recorded 17,055, an increase of 1,039 or 6.5% from the same period last year. The number of mortgage loans for new properties in the first 4 months of this year was 2,241, a significant increase of 1,681 (300.2%) from 560 in the same period last year, reaching a new high for the first 4 months in nearly 3 years. Cao Deming, Vice President of Referral Mortgage Brokerage Services, stated that the lack of major new projects in April led to a decline in both the number of mortgage loans for existing buildings and new properties. However, the overall property registration volume has increased for 2 consecutive months to reach a 5-month high, and the mortgage loan figures are expected to reflect this trend with a potential rebound in the mortgage loans for existing buildings and new properties by the end of the second quarter. In terms of market share for mortgage loans for existing buildings, Bank of China (Hong Kong) maintained its position at the top for the 7th consecutive time with a market share of 27.4%. HSBC ranked second with a market share of 17.6%, followed by Hang Seng Bank with 11.1%, ICBC (Asia) with 6.8%, and Standard Chartered Bank and Bank of East Asia both with 6.3%. For mortgage loans for new properties, Bank of China (Hong Kong) maintained its top position for the 5th consecutive time with a market share of 25.5%. HSBC ranked second with 18.6%, followed by Hang Seng Bank with 11.3%, ICBC (Asia) with 10.1%, and Standard Chartered Bank with 9.9%. In April 2025, the market share of the four major banks for mortgage loans for existing buildings decreased by 3% to 62.3%, reaching a 7-month low. Cao stated that the competition among banks for mortgage business in the first half of the year may lead to a potential realignment of market share.