Equity Research Analyst - Long-Short

Raj S, CA, CFA

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>FUTU’s platform is already scaled and profitable, with strong client growth, sticky assets, and expanding yields from cash and margin balances.</li>
<li>Crypto optionality is real but not fully in consensus. The full license could transform revenue mix in 2026-27 significantly, with margin upside.</li>
<li>At 20x FY2 P/E, even though its peak of its range, we think the valuation doesn’t reflect the potential impact on revenues from crypto. We believe consensus is 10-15% short.</li>
</ul>


FUTU’s platform is already scaled and profitable, with strong client growth, sticky assets, and expanding yields from cash and margin balances.
Crypto optionality is real but not fully in consensus. The full license could transform revenue mix in 2026-27 significantly, with margin upside.
At 20x FY2 P/E, even though its peak of its range, we think the valuation doesn’t reflect the potential impact on revenues from crypto. We believe consensus is 10-15% short.


FUTU: Strong Traction Expected from Crypto Regulatory Push in HK and ASEAN

<ul>
<li>FUTU's risk-reward is asymmetric:  Structurally low valuation, active consensus upgrades and a near-term catalyst (HK crypto VATP license), which can boost further upgrades (2026e) sets up a compelling long entry.</li>
<li>HK-VATP enables FUTU to expand its crypto related revenues, product offerings and margins, and remove third-party dependency. With crypto &lt;2% assets, this new earnings leg is entirely absent from consensus.</li>
<li>FUTU’s pullback to ~15.6x FY2 P/E puts it at the bottom of a ~15x-25x - reasonable valuation band. With upgrades and catalysts ahead, it stands as a strong rerating candidate.</li>
</ul>


FUTU's risk-reward is asymmetric:  Structurally low valuation, active consensus upgrades and a near-term catalyst (HK crypto VATP license), which can boost further upgrades (2026e) sets up a compelling long entry.
HK-VATP enables FUTU to expand its crypto related revenues, product offerings and margins, and remove third-party dependency. With crypto &lt;2% assets, this new earnings leg is entirely absent from consensus.
FUTU’s pullback to ~15.6x FY2 P/E puts it at the bottom of a ~15x-25x - reasonable valuation band. With upgrades and catalysts ahead, it stands as a strong rerating candidate.


2026 High Conviction Idea - FUTU US - 3Q25 Beat and Bottom-Of-Range Valuation Creates Strong Upside

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/futu-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27858:1" rel="noopener">Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU US)</a> will Dual Primary list on the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hong-kong-exchanges-clearing" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:490:1" rel="noopener">HKEX (388 HK)</a> by Way of Introduction and the stock is expected to start trading on 30 December.</li>
<li>Following the changes to the handling of Dual-Primary-listed companies, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/futu-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27858:1" rel="noopener">Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU US)</a> should be added to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-tech-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31367:1" rel="noopener">Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTECH INDEX)</a> at the March rebalance.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/futu-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27858:1" rel="noopener">Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU US)</a> should also be added to the HSCI at the March rebalance and should be added to Southbound Stock Connect late July/ early August.</li>
</ul>



Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU US) will Dual Primary list on the HKEX (388 HK) by Way of Introduction and the stock is expected to start trading on 30 December.
Following the changes to the handling of Dual-Primary-listed companies, Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU US) should be added to the Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTECH INDEX) at the March rebalance.

Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU US) should also be added to the HSCI at the March rebalance and should be added to Southbound Stock Connect late July/ early August.


Futu (FUTU US / 3588 HK): Dual Primary Listing, Stock Connect & Potential HSCI/HSTECH Inclusion

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

<ul>
<li>PCAOB officials concluded their Hong Kong visit last month and PCAOB is due to announce its annual judgment on whether it had adequate access to US listed China companies.</li>
<li>The Hong Kong visit was on the back of the 26th Aug 2022 announcement by PCAOB and CSRC that they had entered into an agreement with US authorities for access.</li>
<li>In this note, we'll talk about the latest developments, possible outcomes and implications.</li>
</ul>


PCAOB officials concluded their Hong Kong visit last month and PCAOB is due to announce its annual judgment on whether it had adequate access to US listed China companies.
The Hong Kong visit was on the back of the 26th Aug 2022 announcement by PCAOB and CSRC that they had entered into an agreement with US authorities for access.
In this note, we'll talk about the latest developments, possible outcomes and implications.


China ADRs Delisting - Friday Could Be Judgment Day for over US$800bn Mcap of Stocks

HK/China Equity Long-Short

Osbert Tang, CFA

Bright Smart Securities / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bright-smart-securities-commodities-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20511:1" rel="noopener">Bright Smart Securities (1428 HK)</a> rallied by 132% since our last Insight, fueled by the euphoria in the brokerage and securities sector on the HK government's stablecoin initiative.</li>
<li>At HK$16.44, it is at 100% PER premium to the sector average, ex-<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/guotai-junan-international" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:13438:1" rel="noopener">Guotai Junan International (1788 HK)</a>. The risk-reward payoff now looks less attractive.</li>
<li>It also implies net profit to grow by 150% by FY31F and priced at 18x PER. This appears stretched in the near term, though long-term prospects stay decent. </li>
</ul>



Bright Smart Securities (1428 HK) rallied by 132% since our last Insight, fueled by the euphoria in the brokerage and securities sector on the HK government's stablecoin initiative.
At HK$16.44, it is at 100% PER premium to the sector average, ex-Guotai Junan International (1788 HK). The risk-reward payoff now looks less attractive.
It also implies net profit to grow by 150% by FY31F and priced at 18x PER. This appears stretched in the near term, though long-term prospects stay decent. 


United States

Futu Holdings Limited operates as a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, offers an online brokerage platform that enables individual investors to trade in listed stocks. Futu Holdings serves customers in the United States, China, and Hong Kong.

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Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU US)

FUTU: Strong Traction Expected from Crypto Regulatory Push in HK and ASEAN

We re-iterated our bullish position on FUTU in a new note. FUTU's risk-reward is asymmetric: The combination of a structurally low valuation,...

Raj S, CA, CFA

2026 High Conviction Idea - FUTU US - 3Q25 Beat and Bottom-Of-Range Valuation Creates Strong Upside

2026 High Conviction: FUTU US risk-reward is asymmetric: Structurally low valuation, consensus upgrades post 3Q25 and a near-term catalyst (crypto...

Raj S, CA, CFA

Futu (FUTU US / 3588 HK): Dual Primary Listing, Stock Connect & Potential HSCI/HSTECH Inclusion

Futu (FUTU US) will Dual Primary list on the HKEX by Way of Introduction. Stock is expected to start trading on 30 Dec. Futu should be added to...

Brian Freitas

China ADRs Delisting - Friday Could Be Judgment Day for over US$800bn Mcap of Stocks

PCAOB officials concluded their Hong Kong visit last month and PCAOB is due to announce its annual judgment on whether it had adequate access to US...

Sumeet Singh

Bright Smart (1428 HK): Valuation Update

Bright Smart announced that it is still working on satisfying condition c.), which is reporting with the NDRC. Given that the Long Stop Date is 25...

Osbert Tang, CFA

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