Hong Kong's ranking in the Global Financial Centers Index has further increased and its ranking in global financial technology continues to be in the lead.

On March 26, the UK's Z/Yen Group and the China (Shenzhen) Development Research Institute jointly released the 39th Global Financial Centres Index report. Hong Kong's overall score increased by 1 point to 765, maintaining its position as the third globally and the first in the Asia-Pacific region. The score difference between Hong Kong and New York, ranked first, and London, ranked second, is only 2 points and 1 point respectively. A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government said: "The report once again affirms Hong Kong's leading position and advantages as an international financial centre. Hong Kong continues to lead in the global ranking of financial technology. The rankings of Hong Kong in various financial industry sectors have generally improved, with Hong Kong ranking first globally in 'banking' and 'financing,' maintaining the top spot in 'insurance,' and climbing to second globally in 'investment management.' In addition, Hong Kong's rankings in the five competitiveness indicators of 'business environment,' 'human capital,' 'infrastructure,' 'financial industry development level,' and 'reputation and overall' continue to remain in the global top three." The spokesperson for the Hong Kong government continued: "This year marks the beginning of the 'Five-year Plan.' With the rapid changes in the world situation, Hong Kong will respond to the complex and ever-changing global political and economic environment with innovative thinking, while actively aligning with the national 'Five-year Plan,' and develop new productive forces tailored to local conditions to accelerate the promotion of high-quality economic and financial development. Hong Kong will continue to leverage its unique advantages under the 'one country, two systems' framework, playing the roles of 'super connector' and 'super value added person,' seizing the opportunities brought by the reshaping of the world investment landscape." "As a leading international financial centre, Hong Kong will promote 'finance+' to leverage Hong Kong's robust financial system to serve the real economy and key industries, and accelerate the synergy between finance and innovation and technology, providing Hong Kong's strengths to meet the needs of the country. A series of policy measures announced in last month's 'Budget' will help Hong Kong's financial services sector to grow bigger and stronger." "We will continue to optimize the securities market, enhance market efficiency, including supporting more mainland and overseas companies to list in Hong Kong, further improving the main board listing and structured product issuance mechanisms, and promoting the shortening of the stock settlement cycle to T+1. To enhance connectivity, we will continue to promote the inclusion of RMB trading counters for Hong Kong stocks in 'Stock Connect.'" "As a hub for global offshore RMB business, Hong Kong will continue to leverage its unique advantages and actively cooperate with national development strategies to promote measures that make better use of offshore RMB and Chinese government bonds, enhancing the level of capital account opening." "This year, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will establish an office in Hong Kong with dual functions in financing and operations, demonstrating confidence in Hong Kong as an international financial center, utilizing our vibrant capital market, world-class professional services, and diverse financial products to support the bank's operations in financing, bond issuance, and treasury management." "Hong Kong is committed to expanding the financial value chain based on its inherent financial advantages. The government is accelerating the development of the international gold trading market, actively building a central clearing system for Hong Kong gold, with the goal of trial operation within this year. We will also study providing tax incentives for qualified institutions engaged in gold trading and settlement in Hong Kong and assist in establishing training architecture within the industry." "In terms of asset and wealth management, recognized funds registered in Hong Kong recorded a net fund inflow of HK$357 billion last year, reflecting the affirmation and confidence of investors at home and abroad in the Hong Kong market. The ecosystem of family offices continues to thrive, with over 3,380 single-family offices established in Hong Kong as of the end of last year, a growth of over 25% in two years. Hong Kong will continue to employ multiple measures to promote the development of family offices, including optimizing tax arrangements, implementing the 'New Capital Investor Admission Scheme,' and organizing investment promotion activities globally, to vigorously promote the development of family offices and consolidate Hong Kong's status as an international asset and wealth management center and international risk management center." "The government will continue to actively develop financial technology and digital assets. The stablecoin issuer regime was implemented in August last year, and the first batch of licenses is about to be issued. We are also drafting legislative proposals for the licensing regime for digital asset trading and custody services, establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework to develop Hong Kong into a global hub for digital asset innovation." "In green and sustainable finance, Hong Kong was confirmed last year by the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation as one of the first jurisdictions to embrace the International Financial Reporting Sustainability Disclosure Standards. We will support discussions with mainland and international multilateral financial institutions to establish a green tech project accelerator in Hong Kong, supporting the incubation, acceleration, and development of green tech projects in the 'Belt and Road' region, providing innovative examples for Hong Kong's green financial services."