Hong Kong’s financial industry professionals are still divided over how they can reorganize the city’s stock exchange to make it the world’s most attractive place for startups and technology firms to raise capital, even as the first round of a public consultation process drew to a close on August 18. Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing (HKEX), the operator of Asia’s third-largest equity bourse by market capitalization and overseer of the consultation, has proposed the establishment of a third board to provide a listing avenue for companies with dual share structures, as well as those with no profit track record. Accountants, bankers, brokers and lawyers are divided over whether a third board is needed, in addition to the existing main board and the growth enterprises market (GEM) for startups. “We received a lot of comments already, and we expect to receive more,” said Charles Li, Chief Executive of HKEX. “If the market supports it, we will have another round of consultation of detail regulations. If all would gain support, I would hope to see the new board to start in the first half of next year”. At stake is how Hong Kong can make its bourse attractive enough as a fund-raising destination in competition with New York, Shanghai or Singapore and other global markets, especially for startups and so-called new economy companies in financial technology, e-commerce and biotechnology, the South China Morning Post reports.