A ship carrying the slogan of "celebrating the passage of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)" sails at the Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the statutory regulator of Hong Kong's capital markets, clarified on Sunday that it is not aware of any aspect of the National Security Law (NSL) which would affect or alter the existing ways in which firms and listed companies originate, access, disseminate and transmit financial market and related business information under the regulatory regime it administers.

Equally, the rules and accepted practices governing market trading activities remain unaltered; all related regulations will be administered by the SFC in the same manner as they were before the advent of the NSL, according to a statement the SFC released on its website on Sunday.

Since the enactment of the NSL, the stock and derivatives markets in Hong Kong have been operating in an orderly manner, and trading on the Hong Kong stock market has been very active, said the SFC. 

Average daily trading increased substantially in the first half of July, with participation from a range of local and international investors, as well as investors from the Chinese mainland through the Stock Connect. Northbound trading through the Stock Connect by international investors doubled, confirming Hong Kong's role as the principal conduit for global access to the Chinese mainland's capital markets.

Interest rates in Hong Kong have remained low since April, stocks have strengthened and there have been daily turnovers of more than HK$200 billion ($25.79 billion). Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Tuesday that this reflected continued capital inflow in Hong Kong.