In today’s rapidly evolving business environment, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have to continuously seek new avenues for breakthrough and growth. To help enterprises capture emerging market opportunities, the BUD Fund has recently introduced a series of enhancement measures to further strengthen support for SMEs.The Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund) provides funding support to non-listed Hong Kong enterprises in developing their businesses in the Chinese Mainland and other target markets, including those with which Hong Kong has signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and/or Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (IPPAs), through developing brands, upgrading and restructuring operations, and promoting sales. The cumulative funding ceiling per enterprise under the BUD Fund is HK$7 million.There are 3 types of applications under the BUD Fund:General application: the major type of application which covers an array of fundable measures with a funding ceiling of HK$800,000 per application;“Easy BUD”: involves designated measures with a funding ceiling of HK$150,000 per application. Its processing time is 30 working days as compared to the 60-working-day performance pledge for other BUD Fund applications;“E-commerce Easy”: assists enterprises in developing the Chinese Mainland and 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets through electronic commerce (e-commerce) business. The funding ceiling per application is $800,000 and the cumulative funding ceiling per enterprise is $1 million (counted towards the $7 million funding ceiling under the BUD Fund).To support SMEs in enhancing their competitiveness, the Government rolled out a host of enhancement measures with effect from 15 June 2026, including:expansion of the geographical scope of the BUD Fund by 20% to cover Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Hungary, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Brazil for general BUD and Easy BUD applications;increasing the funding ceiling per “Easy BUD” application by 50% from $100,000 to $150,000; and(c) providing more targeted funding support for enterprises to implement BUD Fund projects which involve artificial intelligence (AI) elements.Furthermore, in anticipation of the consolidation of the SME Export Marketing Fund into the BUD Fund on 1 July 2026, Trade and Industry Department has updated the guidelines to provide more detailed explanations regarding exhibitions and a reference list of past approved exhibitions.For details, please visit the BUD Fund website.Note:The geographical coverage of the BUD Fund includes 48 economies, namely, the Chinese Mainland, 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (comprising Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), Australia, Chile, the four member states of the European Free Trade Association (i.e. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), Georgia, Macao, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Austria, Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Bahrain, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Hungary, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Brazil.

Thinking of starting a business? Want to learn what to watch out for when setting up business in Hong Kong? Curious about government funding available, or incubation and start-up internship programmes for young entrepreneurs? The “SME Link” website might be able to help you out!To strengthen support for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to raise SMEs' awareness of the various funding schemes, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has consolidated the services of the existing four SME centres, namely, the "Support and Consultation Centre for Small and Medium Enterprises" (SUCCESS) under the Trade and Industry Department, the "SME Centre" under the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the "SME One" under the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the "TecONE" under the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, to provide one-stop "Four-in-One" integrated services for SMEs. Enterprises can obtain business information, funding schemes information and advisory services, etc. at any of the centres. The "SME Link" web portal is a new initiative of the Government to further enhance the integrated services of the SME centres whereby SMEs can access information and support services from a single online platform.The "SME Link" features links to information and services provided by the four SME centres, various industrial and trade organisations, professional bodies and government bureaux and departments. The contents are mainly organised into four clusters, namely "Support for SMEs", "Decarbonisation ‧ Business Action", "Events & Activities", and "News".Under the cluster "Support for SMEs", information and services are further categorised by subjects under a customer-oriented approach, comprising "Government Funding Schemes", "Non-financial Assistance", "Startups", "Mainland Market" and "Overseas Markets", facilitating SMEs to search for useful information and services in a more systematic way.Among all, the "Government Funding Schemes" section features over 70 government funding schemes, each with an overview and links to relevant websites. SMEs can search for suitable funding schemes based on their business needs and industry, and explore details such as eligibility criteria and maximum funding amounts etc.The "Startups" section offers links to websites packed with entrepreneurial tips, guides to doing business in Hong Kong, insights into local startup trends, and other online resources tailored for SMEs. If you're considering starting your own business, it's worth visiting the “SME Link” website regularly to stay updated on the latest support services available for SMEs!Source：SME Link Website