Futu Holdings Ltd has once again received an 'investment-grade' rating from S&P, with overseas business growth being bullish by authoritative institutions.

International renowned rating agency Standard & Poor's Global Ratings (referred to as 'S&P') released a report, once again granting Futu Holdings Ltd (referred to as 'Futu') an investment-grade long-term issuer credit rating of 'BBB-', maintaining the level from last year, with a 'stable' outlook. Futu has received an investment-grade rating of 'BBB-' from S&P for four consecutive years, indicating that the company's development and operational status are recognized by major international rating institutions represented by S&P.

S&P pointed out that Futu has a firm market position in Hong Kong, and overseas business is expected to maintain a good growth momentum. With its strong capital and stable financial situation, Futu will further achieve sustainable growth in its operation.

Standard & Poor's is one of the three most authoritative and credible credit rating agencies internationally recognized, as the recognized standard in the financial investment community. S&P's public rating system is divided into investment-grade and non-investment-grade. Obtaining a rating of BBB- and above is classified as 'investment-grade,' meaning the company has a high reputation and low default risk.

In recent years, Futu has actively promoted global business expansion, with outstanding performance in overseas markets. Since entering multiple new markets including Canada, Japan, and Malaysia, significant progress has been made in acquiring clients. Standard & Poor's expects Futu's client base to continue to grow steadily over the next two years, with overseas markets also serving as a strong driver.

Standard & Poor's also pointed out in the report that Futu's client activity continues to rise and has maintained a good client retention rate. Futu's second-quarter earnings report this year shows that the number of paying clients has exceeded 2 million, while maintaining a high client retention rate of about 98%.

Standard & Poor's believes that Futu has outstanding market share in the Hong Kong retail brokerage industry, strong capital strength, and is expected to continue supporting the business's continued growth with its existing brand influence, high-quality user experience, and stable technology.

The report also mentioned that in terms of business diversification, Futu continues to enrich various products and services, especially the initiatives to further expand wealth management business, which will help enhance customer loyalty and stickiness. It is expected that diversified businesses will bring more stable sources of income in the next two to three years. In June of this year, Futu announced that its subsidiary, Wealth Management of Elephant Wealth, has surpassed a global asset management scale of over $10 billion and accelerated its business expansion in the region. In the future, it will continue to enrich the variety of products and create a one-stop global asset allocation platform.