Hong Kong has a dynamic, expanding economy with a robust consumer market and excellent international trade characteristics. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Hong Kong is Asia's second-largest recipient of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) after China. Hong Kong government statistics show that in 2007 there were 55% more corporate regional headquarters in Hong Kong than there were in 1997.

One of Hong Kong's most positive attributes is the openness of its economy. This is noted in the 2008 Index of Economic Freedom by The Heritage Foundation, which ranks Hong Kong's economy as the world's freest. Entrepreneurs choosing Hong Kong company formation benefit from relaxed trade regulations, including low import and export tariffs to encourage international trade. Hong Kong is a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and also signed the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement with China.

In the World Bank's Doing Business 2008 Survey, Hong Kong is the world's 4th easiest place to do business. The survey measures factors including Hong Kong company formation procedures, time, cost and minimum capital required to start a business.

Hong Kong is considered a low-corruption jurisdiction. For example, Hong Kong is positively ranked as the 12th least corrupt country in the 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index (up from 14th in 2007) by Transparency International, a global measure of corruption amongst public officials and politicians.

Despite the points above, Hong Kong's inward FDI is expected to decline in the medium to long-term due to i) the increasing Chinese influence in Hong Kong ii) the rise of Shanghai as a more efficient alternative iii) the chronic air pollution triggering an expatriate exodus and iv) the declining standards of spoken and written English language. The American Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong reported that 57% of its members would consider investing elsewhere because of the health impacts of pollution. As evidence of this, since 1997, the number of American expatriates living in Hong Kong has fallen by 21% to 28,320. These negative factors could impact the popularity of Hong Kong company formation in future.