The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) today published the March 2026 issue of its quarterly "Statistical Digest of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes." In the first quarter of this year, the number of claims for early withdrawal of MPF benefits on the grounds of permanent departure from Hong Kong rose to 5,000. This represents a quarterly increase of 19.05% but a year-on-year decrease of 25.37%. The amount involved was HKD 1.188 billion, marking a quarterly rise of 16.02% and a year-on-year decline of 26.94%.

In the same quarter, there were 6,500 claims for MPF withdrawals to offset severance payments, a decrease of 7.14% quarter-on-quarter and 31.58% year-on-year. The amount involved was HKD 574 million, remaining flat compared to the previous quarter and down 31.99% year-on-year.

Total MPF contributions received in the first quarter of 2026 reached a new quarterly high of HKD 24.4 billion. Mandatory contributions accounted for HKD 17.5 billion (72%), while voluntary contributions amounted to HKD 6.9 billion (28%).

As of the end of March 2026, the total MPF asset value was approximately HKD 1.53 trillion, representing a 159% increase compared to a decade ago. Since the implementation of the MPF system in 2000, the average annualized net returns (after fees and charges) for equity funds and mixed asset funds, which together constitute about 80% of the total MPF assets, have been 4.8% and 4.4%, respectively. These returns have outperformed the annualized inflation rate of 1.8% over the same period.

By the end of March 2026, the number of tax-deductible voluntary contributions (TVC) accounts surpassed 100,000 for the first time, reaching 101,000, a 17% increase year-on-year. Total contributions to TVC accounts in the first quarter of 2026 amounted to HKD 1.5 billion, the highest quarterly figure since the TVC scheme's implementation in April 2019. The cumulative contribution amount for these accounts since inception stands at HKD 15.6 billion.