The BUD Fund helps non-listed Hong Kong companies build their brand, upgrade and grow sales in the Mainland and 47 other economies: up to HK$7M per company, and up to HK$150,000 per Easy BUD application.
Book a ConsultationThe government and your company share the cost 1:3: BUD pays up to 25% of the approved expenditure, and your company pays the rest.
| Total project cost | HK$600K |
| Your share (75%) | HK$450K |
| BUD funding (25%) | HK$150K |
This example is an Easy BUD project. General and E-commerce Easy projects get up to HK$800,000 each and run up to 24 months; Easy BUD projects get up to HK$150,000 and run up to 12 months.
Beyond basic eligibility, these three points decide most applications.
You must show substantive business operations in Hong Kong. This is one of the main reasons applications are rejected, so prepare the evidence early.
Every measure must serve your business in an eligible economy and show how it strengthens your brand, competitiveness or sales. Costs unrelated to the target market are not funded.
Sort out any licences or registrations needed to operate or sell in the target market first. Missing licences are another common reason for rejection.
BUD is not limited to SMEs. The 48 eligible economies include the Mainland, the ten ASEAN countries, Japan, Korea, Australia, the UK and much of Europe, Canada, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Brazil. E-commerce Easy covers the Mainland and ASEAN.
From choosing the right stream to closing the project.
Depending on size and timing, we recommend a general application, Easy BUD or E-commerce Easy, and plan how to use your HK$7M allowance.
We turn your branding, upgrading and marketing plans into eligible measures, with the quotations and budget they need.
We prepare the evidence of your Hong Kong operations and the project plan, submit them through the BUD Fund's online system and handle the Secretariat's questions.
We help with changes during the project, the final report and the audit, so the funding comes through smoothly.
The Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund) is run by Hong Kong's Trade and Industry Department and implemented by the Hong Kong Productivity Council. It helps non-listed Hong Kong companies develop markets in the Mainland and other eligible economies through branding, upgrading and restructuring, and promoting sales.
The government and your company share the cost 1:3, so BUD pays up to 25% of the approved expenditure. General and E-commerce Easy projects get up to HK$800,000 each, and Easy BUD up to HK$150,000 per application. Each company can receive up to HK$7M in total, split across applications as it needs.
General applications cover the widest range of measures: up to HK$800,000 per project, for up to 24 months. Easy BUD covers designated measures: up to HK$150,000, faster vetting, and projects of up to 12 months. E-commerce Easy is for e-commerce projects in the Mainland and ASEAN: up to HK$800,000 per project and HK$1M in total per company.
48 economies: the Mainland, Macao, the ten ASEAN countries, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and other European countries, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Türkiye and Georgia, plus Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Hungary, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Brazil, added in June 2026.
Yes. The SME Export Marketing Fund became part of the BUD Fund on 1 July 2026, and companies can now apply through Easy BUD for exhibitions and export promotion aimed at eligible markets.
No. BUD is not limited to SMEs: any non-listed company registered in Hong Kong with substantive business operations here can apply. Listed companies are not eligible.
Yes, but each company can submit one application every three months, and general and E-commerce Easy projects running at the same time can receive no more than HK$800,000 in total.
BUD accepts applications all year. Book a consultation: we look at your business, target markets and plans, recommend the right stream and measures, and tell you which documents to prepare.