Case studies

The move

On 30 October 2024, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) announced plans to open an office in Riyadh in 2025. The aim was to expand its presence in the Middle East and promote closer capital-market connectivity between China and the Gulf region. HKEX describes Riyadh as Saudi Arabia's economic powerhouse and a leading financial centre in the Gulf. The new office will join HKEX's existing international offices in Beijing, London, New York, Shanghai and Singapore.

The Riyadh office was intended to strengthen on-the-ground connections with investors and companies in the region. The hope was that it would give them local support to access Hong Kong's capital markets and the wider range of financial products available through the exchange. HKEX presents the move as a way for the Gulf to take part in the megatrends shaping Asia's growth.

A staged pathway

The office follows earlier steps. HKEX added Saudi Exchange to its list of Recognised Stock Exchanges in 2023, followed by the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market in 2024. This opened a route for Gulf-listed companies to seek secondary listings in Hong Kong. A physical presence in Riyadh is the next stage: first formal recognition, then a team on the ground to build relationships.

Why it matters for expanding businesses

HKEX is marketing a platform rather than a product. Its case shows the same logic that applies to many B2B and financial services firms entering the Gulf. In those sectors, proximity to clients and investors builds trust, and the choice of city sets the tone for the whole regional strategy. The move also runs in both directions. A Hong Kong organisation enters Saudi Arabia, and that office then directs Gulf companies and capital back towards Hong Kong.

Where Warren Newsom's services apply

Market assessment and sizing

Testing the commercial case for a Gulf office against other options such as remote coverage or partnerships

Location and site analysis

Comparing Gulf cities and deciding which one should anchor a regional presence

Entry model and structuring options

Setting the office's commercial role within an existing international network, working alongside your legal advisers

Channel and sales strategy

Mapping the corporates, investors, family offices and institutions a new office needs to reach

Launch planning

Sequencing the opening, local communications and engagement with stakeholders in both markets

Performance tracking after launch

Measuring relationship-building and pipeline in the early years of operation

The move

Westwell, a Mainland-rooted company specialising in smart logistics and autonomous driving technology for ports and logistics hubs, set up Westwell Holdings (Hong Kong) in February 2024. The new entity serves as the company's international headquarters and overseas R&D centre. Westwell Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary that delivers the company's solutions in international markets, moved into Hong Kong Science Park in June 2024. That move marked the official opening of the overseas R&D centre.

The decision built on earlier experience in the city. A Hong Kong port operator was Westwell's first overseas port client. The company points to Hong Kong's container port, international airport, logistics zones and dense concentration of transport resources as key reasons for its choice. It also cites access to research partnerships with universities and businesses. Westwell was among the first companies to join the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), the government body that brings strategic high-tech firms to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong as a control centre

Westwell now coordinates global deployments from Hong Kong. Its Q-Tractor P40 new-energy autonomous tractors have been rolled out at Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl). The company is also exploring collaborations with airports in Singapore, Riyadh, Dubai and London. Its Well-Bot logistics robot made its global debut at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in July 2024, after design, certification and intellectual property registration were completed in Hong Kong.

Westwell has grown from 20 to 30 countries and territories of operation, with more than 200 clients worldwide. They have also built a network of regional offices that includes Malaysia, Singapore, Amsterdam, Dubai and London.

Why it matters for expanding businesses

Westwell's pathway follows a clear sequence. The company has proved its solution with a demanding local client, formalised a headquarters and R&D base, and then used that base to coordinate entry into further markets. For technology firms, the case shows Hong Kong working as a testbed and a command centre at the same time. It also shows that public programmes and science parks can shape how and where a company enters.

Where Warren Newsom's services apply

Market assessment and prioritisation

Weighing Hong Kong against other candidate hubs on connectivity, talent, ecosystem support and client proximity

Location and site analysis

Choosing where headquarters, R&D and regional offices should sit

Positioning and pricing

Shaping value propositions for port operators, airport authorities and logistics companies in different regions

Partner and distributor search

Identifying implementation partners in markets such as Dubai, Riyadh and London

Channel and sales strategy

Coordinating multi-country sales from a single regional hub

Performance tracking after launch

Using field results to refine country priorities as new opportunities emerge

The move

Oxygen is a Hong Kong-headquartered HubSpot Solutions Partner and CRM implementation specialist serving Greater China. On 19 November 2024, it announced a new office in the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) free zone. The company became the first HubSpot Solutions Partner in China in 2013, has received ten HubSpot IMPACT awards, and has worked across sectors including healthcare, insurance and business services.

The Dubai office gives Oxygen a base for localised support to organisations across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with a particular focus on Arabic-speaking markets. Its services include HubSpot CRM implementation, digital strategy, AI transformation and CMS work. The aim is to help GCC organisations bring sales, marketing and customer service together in one system. Oxygen presents the expansion as an investment in the UAE's digital economy that will create jobs, develop skills and contribute to a stronger regional digital ecosystem.

Why it matters for expanding businesses

Oxygen's move is a direct example of a Hong Kong services firm entering the Gulf through a physical office. Two lessons stand out. First, localisation is central: the company built its regional offer around language and local business needs rather than exporting its Greater China model unchanged. Second, the entry is framed around host-market priorities such as jobs and digital transformation, which helps build relationships with local stakeholders.

Where Warren Newsom's services apply

Market assessment and prioritisation

Comparing the UAE and the wider GCC with other expansion regions on demand, digital adoption and competition

Location and site analysis

Weighing free-zone and mainland options, and the commercial trade-offs between Gulf cities, working alongside your legal advisers

Positioning and pricing

Adapting service propositions to Arabic-speaking markets and regional expectations

Channel and sales strategy

Choosing target segments and industries, and deciding how to work with technology vendors and partners

Partner and distributor search

Identifying local integrators, agencies and training providers

Launch planning and performance tracking

Sequencing local marketing, events and hiring, then measuring acquisition and retention

The move

Partners Group, a global private markets investment firm headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, announced its new Hong Kong office in June 2024. The office in Edinburgh Tower, The Landmark, in Central is the firm's seventh in Asia and its 21st worldwide. It complements an Asian network in which Singapore serves as regional headquarters.

The Hong Kong office supports client activities in Hong Kong and the Greater China area, with a particular focus on growing the firm's private wealth client base. Henry Chui, Head of Private Wealth APAC, leads the office alongside his regional role. The firm plans to strengthen its client and investment partner relationships and add strategic local distribution partners for its private markets solutions, including its evergreen funds.

Why it matters for expanding businesses

Partners Group shows that a firm with an established Asian presence may still need a dedicated Hong Kong office to reach Greater China properly. Its entry had a clearly defined go-to-market focus: target one priority segment and rely on a model that combines direct client relationships with intermediary distribution. Because the office lead also holds a regional mandate, the Hong Kong team stays connected to the wider Asian strategy. Its role sits alongside Singapore rather than duplicating it.

Where Warren Newsom's services apply

Market assessment and sizing

Sizing private wealth and institutional segments and the competition for them

Entry model and structuring options

Defining the role of a Hong Kong office alongside an existing regional headquarters, working alongside your legal advisers

Positioning and pricing

Deciding which products to lead with and how to present them to local investors

Channel and sales strategy

Mapping and prioritising distribution partners such as private banks and independent wealth managers

Launch planning

Sequencing team build, partner outreach and client engagement

Performance tracking after launch

Monitoring client acquisition, partner engagement and product uptake