Futu Trustee sets a new benchmark in corporate trust services, bridging the 'last mile' of employee equity incentives

Futu Trustee partners with 'Top 100 Hong Kong Stocks' to empower corporate talent incentives; companies ranked among the Top 100 in overall strength can receive a setup fee coupon worth HKD 18,000

Amid market volatility and stricter regulatory environments, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) have evolved from simple talent tools into a strategic core for corporate governance and market capitalization management. As a global leader in digital trust services—Futu Trustee, announced its latest business milestone today: Since its establishment in 2017, Futu Trustee’s Assets Under Management (AUM) has exceeded USD 20 billion . In January 2026, Futu Trustee announced a strategic partnership with the 'Top 100 Hong Kong Stocks' selection, aiming to leverage industry-leading scale and technological capabilities to help more outstanding listed companies build compliant and robust equity incentive systems.

Proven Strength: The trusted choice of hundreds of listed companies, serving hundreds of thousands of employees

As one of the fastest-growing trust service providers in the industry, Futu Trustee has quickly gained widespread market recognition through its unique 'technology + licensing' advantage.

• Leading scale: As of now, Futu Trustee has served more than 600 enterprises and high-net-worth clients, with the scale of trust-managed assets exceeding USD 20 billion 。

• Wide Coverage: Currently, more than 800 have adopted Futu's ESOP management system. Notably, half of these clients, while recognizing the functionality of the ESOP system, have further opted for Futu Trust’s services, achieving in-depth cooperation from data management to asset custody.

• Massive user base: Behind Futu Trust and its ESOP system, there arehundreds of thousands ofsenior executives and core employees being served, ensuring the security of their assets and a seamless exercise experience.

Core Insights: Why must top-tier companies establish an ESOP trust structure?

Through extensive client service practices, Futu Trust has found that a "compliant trust structure" is the cornerstone for the long-term operation of corporate incentive plans. The legal trust framework built by Futu for enterprises plays an irreplaceable role in four key aspects:

• The 'firewall' for asset security: As the trustee, Futu Trust independently holds shares in the incentive pool under the law. This means the incentive assets are completely segregated from the company’s own assets, providing the strongest legal protection for the interests of employees (beneficiaries).

• The 'reservoir' for share transfer: The trust structure provides a flexible buffer. Listed companies can pre-purchase shares under the trust’s name for future stock grants and vesting; when employees leave and shares are forfeited, these shares can be returned to the trust pool for reuse without frequent cancellations or new issuances, significantly reducing administrative burdens for listed companies.

• The "purifier" for equity structure: After the trust exercises on behalf of employees, it can appear as a single nominee shareholder on the register, representing all incentive participants in holding shares. This avoids having thousands of scattered small shareholders on the register, maintaining a clean equity structure.

• The 'unified carrier' for centralized management: In situations where various incentive tools such as Options and RSUs coexist, the trust serves as a unified vehicle for centralized management across jurisdictions and tools, ensuring clear ownership.

Technology empowerment: Algorithmic trading and financing exercise to solve funding pain points

Leveraging its strong fintech DNA, Futu Trust has further addressed the “funding” and “trading” challenges in traditional trust services:

• Trust purchases + Algorithmic Trading: To meet the share repurchase needs of listed companies, Futu supports businesses in purchasing shares on the secondary market via trust to deposit into the incentive pool. The system introduces VWAP/TWAP and other smart algorithms to break down large orders for execution, minimizing slippage and market impact, achieving seamless execution of large trades while stabilizing market value.

• Exclusive support for 'executive financing and option exercise': Many executives wish to hold shares long-term but face cash pressure when exercising options. Futu supports executives in adoptingfinancing exerciseto resolve urgent funding needs, helping them retain shares and signal management's strong confidence in the company’s future to the market.

• Compliant repatriation (SAFE Circular 7): For Chinese employees, Futu strictly adheres to regulatory requirements, ensuring that proceeds from stock sales are repatriated domestically through compliant channels.

Salute to Industry Leader: Futu Trust sponsors 'Top 100 Hong Kong Stocks,' offering exclusive benefits to help companies upgrade

To further support outstanding listed companies in improving governance structures, Futu Trust has officially become a sponsor of the annual capital markets event hosted by Finet,The 'Top 100 Hong Kong Stocks' selection event's strategic cooperation institution.

As a tribute to industry leaders, Futu Trust will provide substantive exclusive benefits for this event:Each winning 'Top 100 Hong Kong Stocks' company will receive a voucher worth HKD 18,000 for ESOP trust establishment fees.

Futu Trust hopes to help more top-tier companies build compliant, intelligent, and leading equity incentive systems through multi-dimensional empowerment in 'scale + legal structure + technological innovation'.

About Futu Trust

Futu Trust is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Futu Holdings Ltd (Nasdaq: FUTU) and holds a Hong Kong Trust or Corporate Service Provider (TCSP) license. As of the end of November 2025, Futu Trust has served over 600 enterprises and high-net-worth clients, with assets under management (AUM) surpassing USD 20 billion. The company is committed to providing professional services such as family trusts, corporate trusts (ESOP), charitable trusts, and corporate secretarial services through technological innovation.

83K Views