HKMEx Chairman Barry Cheung holds various public positions, including as a non-official member of the city's cabinet under Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying.
HKMEx had said on Saturday in a statement on its website that it has ceased trading because its trading revenue couldn't support its operating expenses.
When the HKMEx started trading U.S. dollar-denominated gold futures on an electronic platform in 2011, it was seen as an attempt to attract Asia's commodity traders away from established bourses in Chicago and London.