HONG KONG, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Maintaining market trading during extreme weather and other reform measures have made Hong Kong's financial market more brisk and competitive, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee said in a social media post on Monday.

The HKSAR government's moves to streamline market listing procedures have helped boost initial public offerings (IPOs) by 30 percent year on year to 52 cases by mid-July. Total funds raised soared 590 percent to 124 billion Hong Kong dollars (15.8 billion U.S. dollars), making Hong Kong the biggest IPO market worldwide, said Lee.

The HKSAR government will continue to improve listing procedures and add market liquidity to enhance Hong Kong's appeal to upstanding companies seeking to raise funds.

The Hang Seng Index has hiked about 25 percent so far this year. ■