The Hong Kong stock exchange plans to standardize the trading units used by the 2,660 listed companies on its platform in a bid to increase liquidity, according to a consultation paper.

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd is proposing to limit the trading unit size, or board lot, to eight choices starting at one share to a maximum of 10,000 shares. The trading value per lot will be capped at HK$50,000 ($6,400), according to the paper.

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Hong Kong publicly traded companies choose their own board lots, which has resulted in more than 40 different sizes, according to an HKEX tally. About 25 percent of listed issuers will need to adjust their board lot sizes under the proposal, the exchange said. The public has until March 12 to give comments.

“These proposals aim to make trading simpler and more accessible to all, while also catering to the needs and distinctive features of Hong Kong’s financial markets,” said Gregory Yu, head of markets at HKEX, in a statement. The changes “will be the first step of a longer-term journey to transition to a single unified board lot unit,” he said.

The review is part of a wider push to boost trading liquidity in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region stock market, which saw more than $34 billion in shares debut this year. However, a higher threshold of trading Hong Kong stocks still deters some investors.

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For example, the minimum order of Chinese mainland technology giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is 100 shares in Hong Kong. Investors can buy one single share of the same company in New York using widespread online brokerage apps.

Mainland automaker BYD Co slashed its board lot to 100 shares from 500 starting from Sept 19 to improve liquidity and broaden the shareholder base, the firm said.