Destination guide
Send money to Hong Kong
GBP to HKD payments for UK businesses trading through Hong Kong intermediaries.
Payment snapshot
Hong KongAsia-Pacific
- Settlement currency
- HKD — Hong Kong dollar
- Corridor
- GBP → HKD
- Beneficiary format
- Branch code · BIC/SWIFT
- Local clearing
- CHATS · FPS (Faster Payment System)
- Reference rate
- Published daily GBP/HKD
- Eligibility
- Subject to eligibility
Other currencies may be available on request.
Outbound payments from the UK.
Confirmed with you before the first payment is set up.
Domestic rails used once funds reach the destination.
Indicative daily reference data, not an executable customer rate.
Acceptance of any individual business is decided during onboarding.
GBP/HKD reference rate
Movement shown is across the selected period.
Historical reference rates are published once per working day, so the chart shows end-of-day values rather than intraday movement. Past movement is not an indication of future rates.
Indicative transfer estimate
Reference rateYou send
Recipient receives (indicative)
Estimates use daily published reference rates and are for information only. They are not a quote and not an executable customer rate. No transfer is initiated from this website; your rate and any fees are confirmed before a transaction is arranged.
Who we help
Paying into Hong Kong
GBP to HKD payments for UK businesses trading through Hong Kong intermediaries.
Hong Kong sits in most UK supply chains as a sourcing and intermediary hub rather than a final manufacturing point: UK importers typically pay Hong Kong-incorporated trading companies and buying agents who coordinate production across the Pearl River Delta, even though the goods themselves are made in mainland China. Invoices from these intermediaries are commonly issued in USD as well as HKD, reflecting Hong Kong's role as a dollar-linked financial centre, and UK buyers should confirm which currency an invoice is actually denominated in before assuming it is HKD.
Because the Hong Kong dollar has operated under a currency-board peg to the US dollar since 1983 (within a narrow official band), HKD movement against GBP is driven almost entirely by GBP/USD dynamics rather than by Hong Kong-specific economic data. UK finance teams managing HKD payables are, in practice, managing USD exposure with an extra conversion step, which is a materially different risk profile from a freely floating currency.
Banking relationships in Hong Kong are typically with international banks that hold both onshore Hong Kong branches and UK correspondent relationships, which tends to make payment routing straightforward, but beneficiary banks will still expect precise bank and branch codes rather than an IBAN, since Hong Kong does not use the IBAN system.
- Paying trading companies and sourcing agents
- Settling logistics and warehousing invoices
- Paying regional service providers
- Funding a Hong Kong entity's costs
Because HKD is pegged to USD, GBP exposure to HKD is in effect GBP exposure to USD with the peg's narrow trading band as the only additional variable. UK businesses with regular HKD payables should monitor GBP/USD data and events rather than searching for Hong Kong-specific economic drivers, and should treat HKD budgeting and USD budgeting as functionally the same exercise.
Who executes the payment
TIMEFX LTD is your provider throughout. Payments are executed under the UK regulatory framework for payment services.
Regulatory disclosureTechnical details
Clearing systems and beneficiary details for Hong Kong
Payment-rail detail for finance and operations teams. You do not need any of this to open an account — we confirm the exact fields with you during setup.
Clearing, beneficiary fields and local rulesShowHide
Local clearing systems
CHATS
Hong Kong's Clearing House Automated Transfer System settles HKD, USD, EUR and RMB same-day on an RTGS basis and is the standard rail for incoming international wires.
FPS (Faster Payment System)
Hong Kong's retail instant-payment system, used for local low-value transfers between individuals and small businesses rather than typical cross-border commercial settlement.
What the beneficiary record needs
- Hong Kong does not use IBAN — beneficiary details are a bank code (3 digits) plus branch code (3 digits) plus the account number, rather than a single standardised account string.
- Confirm whether the invoice is quoted in HKD or USD before sending; Hong Kong intermediaries frequently hold and invoice in both.
- The beneficiary's full registered company name should match the entity on any underlying trade documentation exactly, as Hong Kong banks routinely query mismatches.
- A SWIFT/BIC code is required for the receiving bank in addition to the bank and branch codes.
Local points worth knowing
- Hong Kong functions as a dual USD/HKD settlement hub, so payment instructions should always state the settlement currency explicitly rather than relying on the invoice heading alone.
- Trade documentation (commercial invoice, packing list, sometimes a certificate of origin) is commonly requested by Hong Kong beneficiary banks for larger payments as part of their own trade-finance compliance checks.
- Many Hong Kong trading companies operate as intermediaries for mainland Chinese manufacturers, so the payee name on the invoice may differ from the factory named in production correspondence — this is normal but worth verifying.
- Public holidays follow the Hong Kong calendar (including Lunar New Year, which can suspend clearing for several days), separate from both UK and mainland Chinese holiday calendars.
Getting started
How a first payment to Hong Kong usually goes
- 1
Tell us about the route
What you're paying for, roughly how much and how often. This tells us whether HKD is the right settlement currency and which checks will apply.
- 2
Apply for an account
A short application, reviewed by us. Full verification comes afterwards, once we know we can help — we don't ask for documents before that point.
- 3
Set up the beneficiary once
We help you capture the receiving details correctly the first time, which is what prevents the returned-payment cycle most businesses have experienced at least once.
- 4
Arrange and track your payment
Your rate and fees are confirmed before the payment is arranged, and each payment carries a reference you can follow end to end.
No payment is initiated from this website
Nearby
Other destinations in Asia-Pacific
- AUD
Australia
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GBP to AUD payments for UK businesses with Australian suppliers, staff or customers.
View guideReference rate · 1 GBP
Australian dollar
Subject to eligibility
- JPY
Japan
Asia-Pacific
GBP to JPY payments for UK importers of Japanese components, machinery and goods.
View guideReference rate · 1 GBP
Japanese yen
Subject to eligibility
- SGD
Singapore
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GBP to SGD payments for UK businesses using Singapore as an Asian trading hub.
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Singapore dollar
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FAQ
Payments to Hong Kong
Get started
Speak with our team
Tell us about your business and the currencies you work in. We will respond within one UK business day.
We respond to enquiries within one UK business day.