Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Hong Kong Shareholder Activist David M. Webb Dies at 60

His family confirmed his death from metastatic prostate cancer, closing a career that reshaped corporate governance in the city.

Overview

  • A statement posted to his social media said he died in Hong Kong on Jan. 13, 2026 and requested privacy for his wife and two children.
  • Webb’s 2017 “Enigma Network” exposé mapped cross-shareholdings across dozens of listed companies, triggering losses of about $6 billion and a criminal investigation.
  • He founded the free, nonprofit Webb-site database in 1998, a widely used resource that was shut down late last year.
  • A former investment banker, he moved from Britain to Hong Kong in 1991 and later served on the Takeovers and Mergers Panel and as an independent director of the stock exchange operator.
  • He disclosed an aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis in 2020 and was appointed an MBE in 2025 for his contributions to corporate governance.