BUD Fund and E-commerce Easy: matching ratio, caps and eligibility
This page is based on public information as of 2026-10-06. Sources: the general application guide and the E-commerce Easy guide, version 06/2026, and the Trade and Industry Department BUD page last revised on 2026-06-29.
For cross-border e-commerce, the government funding described in the most concrete public material is the BUD Fund, including the E-commerce Easy track. The matching ratio, the caps and the eligibility below follow the guides. A category the guide lists is not the same as a promise that a particular expense will pass review.
Matching ratio and caps
The matching ratio is 1 to 3. The government funds at most 25% of a project total approved expenditure, and the enterprise pays at least 75% in cash. The cumulative cap per enterprise is HK$7 million, including audit fees, across at most 70 projects; HK$800,000 per general application; at any one time, funding already approved plus funding for projects still in progress must not exceed HK$800,000. Drawing the full HK$7 million means the enterprise itself puts in about HK$21 million, and the projects can only be done one after another. That cumulative cap covers general applications, E-commerce Easy and Easy BUD together.
The audit fee is at most HK$10,000 each time, matched on the same 1 to 3 ratio, and it counts toward the cumulative funding. Each approved project must be finished within 24 months. EMF was merged into the BUD Fund on 2026-07-01. Easy BUD is a separate channel, capped at HK$150,000 per project from 2026-06-15. The application is processed within 30 working days. An E-commerce Easy application used to get around the cap of another track may be refused.
Who can apply
The applicant must be a non-listed enterprise registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310), with a substantive business operating in Hong Kong. Manufacturing and services both qualify. An existing business in the target market is not required.
A company with only a registered address, and no actual business or staff (the guide calls it a shell company), does not count as having a substantive business in Hong Kong. An enterprise that mainly operates outside Hong Kong is treated the same way. Buying and selling only with other units in the same group does not count either.
The guide sets no fixed minimum period of registration. Years since establishment are only one factor in the assessment, alongside the nature and scale of the Hong Kong business, the amount invested in Hong Kong, the number of staff in Hong Kong, client information, and whether profits are assessed in Hong Kong. The enterprise must keep meeting the conditions from the application through the life of the project.
| Item | Who it is for | Nature of eligibility | Legislative stage | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item BUD Fund | Who it is for A non-listed enterprise registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) with a substantive business in Hong Kong | Nature of eligibility Discretionary: application and approval | Legislative stage Not legislation: government funding scheme, in operation | As of 2026-10-06 |
| Item E-commerce Easy | Who it is for Same enterprises. Measures are limited to mainland China and the ten ASEAN markets. HK$800,000 per project, HK$1 million cumulative per enterprise, counting toward the HK$7 million cap | Nature of eligibility Discretionary: application and approval | Legislative stage Not legislation: government funding scheme, in operation | As of 2026-10-06 |
E-commerce Easy: scope and expenditure
E-commerce Easy is limited to mainland China and the ten ASEAN markets: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The cap is HK$800,000 per project and HK$1 million per enterprise, and it counts toward the HK$7 million cumulative cap and the maximum of 70 projects.
The guide lists fundable expenditure, including platform account registration or entry fees, storefront design and production, outsourced operation of a newly opened store (for at most 6 months), advertising on third-party online sales platforms and social media, and KOL fees. The guide names no platform. Government funding cannot be used for day-to-day running costs.
48 economies
The Trade and Industry Department BUD page states that, from 2026-06-15, the geographical scope is 48 economies, including mainland China, the ten ASEAN markets, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The United States is not among them. Costs of a United States storefront are outside this geographical scope.
The enterprise is responsible for the application
The enterprise prepares the application itself and must know the contents in full. It must appoint members of its own staff as project lead and deputy lead, and must not hand management of the whole project to a third party. A false statement or an omission can lead to refusal, or to withdrawal of funding already approved. Holders, shareholders and directors are responsible and may face legal consequences. This site only organises public information. It does not draft the application and it does not fill in the form.
Current application page: BUD official application page.
This page sits under Tax in the service catalog.
This page is based on public information as of 2026-10-06. Sources: the general application guide and the E-commerce Easy guide, version 06/2026, and the Trade and Industry Department BUD page last revised on 2026-06-29.