Hong Kong FinTech Week Main Forum Concludes Successfully; John Lee: Hong Kong Has Unique Advantages to Help Enterprises Expand into Global Markets

On November 3, the Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK 2026 Main Forum concluded successfully at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event brought together government officials, regulators, entrepreneurs, investors, technology pioneers and industry leaders from around the world, as well as more than 30 delegations from the Chinese mainland and overseas markets, to explore the new opportunities presented by three major growth engines: "Finance+", "AI+" and global expansion. Now in its 11th edition, this year's event focused on how enterprises can leverage Hong Kong's combined advantages in capital, technology and global connectivity to open up new growth opportunities. The Main Forum, held from November 2 to 3, examined in depth how finance can drive innovation and industrial transformation, how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries and creating new value, and how enterprises can use Hong Kong's international networks and business ecosystem to connect with new partners, open up new markets and seize global growth opportunities. Connecting Finance, Innovation and Global Growth In his opening remarks at the Main Forum, John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that with technological development and the opportunities brought by new investment and global trade models, Hong Kong offers a stable business environment that supports enterprises in making long-term investments, innovating and thriving. John Lee Ka-chiu said: "About two months ago, the Hong Kong SAR Government published the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Five-Year Plan dovetails closely with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, providing a clear direction to help Hong Kong leverage its strengths and better integrate into and serve the overall development of the country. Our first Five-Year Plan is not merely a policy document; it outlines the development prospects Hong Kong offers to enterprises, investors and innovators." He pointed out that the Five-Year Plan helps enterprises make good use of Hong Kong's far-reaching development prospects and seize the abundant development opportunities in the country and around the world. John Lee Ka-chiu also noted that international confidence in Hong Kong continues to strengthen, investors continue to commit capital in Hong Kong, global professionals choose to develop their careers in Hong Kong, and international companies use Hong Kong as a base to expand their businesses. Looking ahead, he highlighted the opportunities brought by rapid technological development, Asia's role in driving global economic growth, and China's position as a major engine of transformation. With its connection to global capital, strong international networks and deep ties with the mainland, Hong Kong has unique advantages to help enterprises move from scientific research and commercialisation to scale-up development, and to expand from Hong Kong into the mainland and global markets. In his keynote speech, Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, proposed that promoting fintech development must focus on three directions: efficiency as the driving force, inclusiveness as the goal, and trust as the cornerstone. He said: "To move fintech forward, we cannot stop at launching more pilot projects; we must also integrate innovation outcomes into enterprises' daily operations to deliver tangible benefits. The Government will continue to provide clear rules and reliable infrastructure. I invite you all to turn innovative ideas into practical applications in Hong Kong, so that technology benefits enterprises and citizens." "Finance+" and "AI+": Driving Market and Industrial Innovation Speaking at the panel discussion "Fintech Hub: Where Data, Tokens and AI Converge", Christopher Hui Ching-yu, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong, said that data, tokenisation and artificial intelligence are three important tools for connecting the world and connecting the futureusing data as a driving force, leveraging tokenisation to build new infrastructure, and using artificial intelligence as new intelligence. He added that the Government, regulators and the industry are working together to fully unleash the potential of these three tools, through legislation, improving regulatory measures, encouraging and promoting innovation, providing more application scenarios and nurturing more talent, building a comprehensive ecosystem while completing infrastructure, thereby supporting the sustainable development of the entire industry. Algernon Yau Ying-wah, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, said that in the face of intricate geopolitics, inflationary pressures and global economic uncertainty, innovation and technology companies and start-ups need a trusted platform, a reliable international hub and world-class professional services to help them set their direction and open up new marketsand these are precisely the unique advantages Hong Kong possesses. The First Five-Year Plan for Hong Kong marks an important step by the Government in setting out Hong Kong's future development priorities, providing the business sector with greater certainty and a clearer strategic direction for further development. He said he will continue to strive to optimise Hong Kong's business environment, making Hong Kong an ideal platform for global enterprises, including start-ups, to thrive and expand their businesses. Joseph Chan Ho-lim, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, said that Hong Kong ranks third globally and first in Asia in the Global Financial Centres Index, and leads the world in fintech. Certainty plays a key role in innovative development. Under the direction of the Policy Statement on the Development of Digital Asset in Hong Kong 2.0, Hong Kong will establish a licensing regime for virtual asset trading, custody, advisory and management services, and will submit an amendment bill to the Legislative Council within 2026 to clarify the compliance pathway for the market. He said Hong Kong adheres to the international principles of "same business, same risks, same rules", and a transparent, robust and highly predictable regulatory framework is the cornerstone for innovators to establish themselves in Hong Kong. At the broader level of innovative economic development, panellists also discussed how emerging technologies are reshaping the foundations of economic competitiveness, including the infrastructure and collaborative ecosystem needed to support the development of frontier industries, the promotion of scaled application of technology, and the cultivation of long-term growth momentum for the overall economy. Lillian Cheong Man-lei, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, said that innovation alone is not enough. To nurture new quality productive forces, basic research needs a clear commercialisation pathway, frontier technologies need practical application scenarios, and start-ups need a complete ecosystem comprising talent, capital, industry and market access. Hong Kong has unique advantages to meet these needs. By promoting AI+, strengthening computing infrastructure, coordinating AI development and risk governance, encouraging patient capital, deepening collaboration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and accelerating major development projects such as the Northern Metropolis, Hong Kong is building an ecosystem where scientific research connects with industry, innovation finds real application scenarios, and start-ups grow into globally competitive enterprises. She expressed the hope to further accelerate the transformation of innovative ideas into outcomes, turning innovation into ShenZhen New Industries Biomedical Engineering, new opportunities and new growth momentum for Hong Kong. Wong Suk-yin, Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, said Hong Kong is a strategic hub connecting markets, capital, technology and talent. Through the HK$400 million Low-carbon Green Research Fund and the newly established Hong Kong Green Technology Innovation Centre, the SAR Government is committed to supporting the development of green technology and supporting the transformation of research outcomes into highly applicable and commercially promising green and low-carbon technology solutions. Wong Suk-yin noted that the "Green Technology Bridgehead Programme" to be launched next year will also help green technology and environmental protection enterprises use Hong Kong as a springboard to go global or enter the mainland market and open up international markets. The various discussion sessions at the Forum reflected that the development of "Finance+" and "AI+" is extending into different fields, opening up more new opportunities at the intersection of finance, technology, sustainable development and industrial transformation. Consolidating a Trusted and Interconnected Financial Market As financial services and advanced digital technologies continue to evolve, the Forum also explored the foundations needed to support the scaling up of innovation. Panellists discussed market infrastructure, regulatory frameworks and cross-sector collaboration, and how to maintain the confidence, resilience and stability required of an international financial centre while promoting innovation. Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, moderated the panel discussion titled "Charting the Innovation Frontier: AI, Tokenisation and Quantum in Global Finance". During the discussion, he mentioned that the key to advancing the active application of innovative technology in financial services lies in maintaining robustness and public trust. He said the HKMA will continue to act as a facilitator, and emphasised that sustained cooperation between the public and private sectors is particularly important for building a thriving ecosystem that encourages innovation, is trustworthy and promotes responsible application. He also said Hong Kong is well positioned to seize the new growth opportunities brought by fintech. With the good progress achieved under "Fintech 2030", banks and fintech companies will be able to use data, AI, tokenisation and other emerging technologies more effectively. In the panel discussion, Julia Leung Fung-yee, Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission, outlined the SFC's strategic vision, noting that AI and tokenisation will empower the development of Hong Kong's financial market, but investor protection and market integrity must be safeguarded at the same time. AI is developing increasingly rapidly in Hong Kong, and the scale of application is growing. In the area of agentic AI, she advocated a flexible and proportionate approach, precisely defining its autonomy based on the potential impact of the relevant activities and the reversibility of decisions, and equipping higher-risk applications with comprehensive control mechanisms. Julia Leung also noted that in the face of increasingly severe AI-related threats, the industry must enhance cyber resilience. On tokenisation, she believes that the key to truly achieving scale effects lies in integrating it into market operations, delivering tangible benefits through improved efficiency, accessibility, liquidity and settlement speed. Clement Cheung Wan-ching, Chief Executive Officer of the Insurance Authority, emphasised the critical role of insurance in consolidating Hong Kong's position as an international innovation and technology centre, and elaborated on the Insurance Authority's work in promoting the responsible application of AI in the insurance industry, especially the positive results achieved by the "AI Promotion Programme" in encouraging insurance companies to set up AI Centres of Excellence in Hong Kong, strengthening the talent pool and developing application cases. Clement Cheung said: "Aligning with Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan, our AI strategy fully leverages Hong Kong's mature insurance market, strong institutional capabilities, robust regulatory framework and cross-border ecosystem. The Insurance Authority will continue to strive to build a vibrant AI ecosystem, translating national strategic deployments into concrete measures that meet the needs of the industry, in order to enhance the resilience of the sector." Hong Kong: Driving Enterprises' Long-term Global Expansion One of the key themes throughout the Forum was that technology is not only transforming industries but also reshaping how enterprises are established and scaled. More and more enterprises set regional and global markets as their development goals from the outset, and therefore need capital, talent, infrastructure and trusted business networks that span different jurisdictions. Against this backdrop, Hong Kong, with its strong financial strength, innovation capabilities and unique advantages in global connectivity, can help enterprises navigate the new business environment and expand their operations with confidence. Alpha Lau Hoi-shuen, Director-General of Investment Promotion of Invest Hong Kong, said: "Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK 2026 has fostered meaningful connections, partnerships and business opportunities, and these outcomes will continue beyond the conclusion of the Main Forum. Under the First Five-Year Plan for Hong Kong, Hong Kong is consolidating and enhancing its status as an international financial centre, building an international innovation and technology centre and expanding its global cooperation networks. Invest Hong Kong is committed to advancing this vision, connecting global capital with the entrepreneurs shaping the future, and providing both with a runway to the Chinese mainland, Asia and overseas markets." The events of Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK 2026 will continue to be held across various venues in Hong Kong until November 6, during which a series of community and partner events will carry forward industry discussions, investor exchanges and business connections. The remaining activities include a two-day Greater Bay Area Enterprise Innovation Tour, with participants travelling to Shenzhen to gain first-hand understanding of one of the world's most vibrant innovation ecosystems.