Typical quant developer base
HK$960,000 to HK$2,000,000
Middle half in a recruiter’s 2026 survey, median HK$1,300,000
Experienced quant, Da Vinci
HK$1,000,000
Base, with total pay expected at US$500,000 or more
Quant researcher, 1 to 3 years
EstimateAbout HK$1,650,000 to HK$3,000,000
Base plus bonus, before tax
Standard salaries tax rate
15%
The most anyone pays; 16% on net income above HK$5 million
Hong Kong is the main Asian base for some of the firms on these pages. Jane Street calls its Hong Kong office home to its Asian operations, and Flow Traders, which opened there in 2017, calls it the principal trading hub for its Asia-Pacific region.
A recruiter’s 2026 survey puts the middle half of quant developer base pay in Hong Kong at HK$960,000 to HK$2,000,000. Most firms leave pay out of their Hong Kong ads. Da Vinci is the exception, and its HK$1,000,000 base for an experienced quant sits inside that range.
How much do quants earn in Hong Kong?
A recruiter’s 2026 survey puts the middle half of quant developer base pay in Hong Kong at HK$960,000 to HK$2,000,000, with a median of HK$1,300,000. Those are starting salaries, before any bonus.
Da Vinci states Hong Kong pay in its own ads. A graduate quant starts on a €100,000 base with a €20,000 sign-on bonus and a relocation package, the same base as its graduate traders in Amsterdam. For an experienced quant, Da Vinci states a base of HK$1,000,000 and says total pay, including performance bonuses, is expected to be US$500,000 or more a year.
Pay in Da Vinci’s Hong Kong job ads, checked 24 September 2026
| Role | Base salary | Also stated |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate Quant | €100,000 | €20,000 sign-on bonus, relocation package |
| Experienced Quant | HK$1,000,000 | Total pay expected at US$500,000 or more |
Jane Street’s own Hong Kong careers ads for traders, researchers and engineers state no pay. Its New York ads state a US$300,000 base. A graduate job listing for its Hong Kong trader role states HK$2,250,000.
What does total pay look like in Hong Kong?
With the bonus, our estimate for a quant trader or researcher in Hong Kong is HK$1,600,000 to HK$2,800,000 in the first year and HK$1,650,000 to HK$3,000,000 with 1 to 3 years of experience, before tax. With 4 to 6 years it is HK$1,800,000 to HK$3,900,000.
The chart’s base comes from the recruiter survey of quant developer pay, and the chart uses it for traders and researchers too. The top of each column goes higher, to meet what firms state themselves: the HK$2,250,000 base on the Jane Street graduate listing plus a bonus, and, from 4 years, Da Vinci’s US$500,000 or more for an experienced quant.
The chart below shows every stage. Move the slider to set the base.
At a HK$1.3m base, quant researchers in Hong Kong make an estimated HK$1.6m to HK$2.8m in the first year and HK$2.35m to HK$4.95m after 7 years. The base barely moves with the years; the bonus does the growing, and in a strong year at the best-paying firms it takes total pay to about 4 times the base.
Typical range of base in recruiter guides and job ads for the city: HK$960k to HK$2m.
- Researcher, Year 1: base about HK$1.3m, estimated total pay HK$1.6m to HK$2.8m.
- Researcher, 1 to 3 years: base about HK$1.3m, estimated total pay HK$1.65m to HK$3m.
- Researcher, 4 to 6 years: base about HK$1.3m, estimated total pay HK$1.8m to HK$3.9m.
- Researcher, 7 years or more: base about HK$1.3m, estimated total pay HK$2.35m to HK$4.95m.
Senior pay goes well past this chart. Jane Street paid an average of US$2.68 million per employee in 2025.
A year, before tax, not counting a sign-on bonus. The low end of each column is an ordinary year at an ordinary firm; the top is a strong year at the best-paying firms.
How this estimate is worked out
The base is the one on the slider, within the range recruiter guides and firms’ job ads give for the city. The bonus is the share of base that people in the role report at each stage, from the lower quarter of reports to the top tenth. It is also never below a figure a firm here states in its own ads. The bonus stays the same share when you move the slider, so a higher base brings a larger bonus.
Which trading firms hire quants in Hong Kong?
- Jane Street: its Hong Kong office is home to its Asian operations.
- Flow Traders: in Hong Kong since 2017, its principal trading hub for Asia-Pacific.
- IMC: hires quantitative researchers in Hong Kong.
- Jump Trading: hires quantitative research interns in Hong Kong.
- Da Vinci Derivatives: hires graduate and experienced quants in Hong Kong.
How is pay taxed in Hong Kong?
Salaries tax is charged at progressive rates of 2%, 6%, 10% and 14% on successive bands of HK$50,000 of net chargeable income, and 17% on the remainder.
No one pays more than the standard rate on their net income: the tax is the smaller of the two amounts. The standard rate is 15%. From the 2024/25 year of assessment, net income above HK$5 million is charged at 16%. On quant pay, the standard rate is usually the one that applies.
Employees also pay 5% of their pay into the Mandatory Provident Fund, capped at HK$1,500 a month. Someone who comes to Hong Kong to work for 13 months or less, or who belongs to an overseas retirement scheme, can be exempt.
Which work visa does a new hire need?
The General Employment Policy is the route for a hire with a job offer. It needs a confirmed offer, normally a relevant degree, and pay broadly in line with the market for professionals in Hong Kong.
The Top Talent Pass Scheme does not need an offer. Category A is for people who earned HK$2.5 million or more in the year before they apply. Category C is for graduates of eligible universities in the past five years with less than three years of work experience, subject to a yearly quota.
How do you get an offer at a Hong Kong trading firm?
Hong Kong trading firms test the same core skills as their other offices. Expect a timed online test of arithmetic and probability, then interviews with estimation questions and market-making games where you price a trade on the spot.
Because the bonus makes up so much of pay here, the offer is only a start, and the skills the tests check are the ones that grow it. Practise them in each firm’s format, under the real time limit, before the first round.