Hong Kong FinTech Week 2024 "Illuminating New Pathways in Fintech" details released
Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) today (October 8) unveiled details of Hong Kong FinTech Week 2024 (HKFW). The ninth edition of HKFW, themed "Illuminating New Pathways in Fintech" will take place from October 28 to November 1. This flagship event stands at the forefront of the global fintech evolvement. Aligned with Hong Kong's vision, the aim is to steer the future of financial services and beyond.
The largest and most influential gathering of international leaders in finance and technology
As the city's premier fintech gathering, HKFW is organised by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and InvestHK, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), and the Insurance Authority (IA). The event is expected to draw over 30 000 attendees from more than 100 economies.
With hundreds of distinguished speakers and numerous sponsors and exhibitors, the main conference taking place between October 28 and 29 at Hong Kong AsiaWorld-Expo promises to be a convergence of global expertise and cutting-edge fintech innovations.
HKFW draws votes of confidence from both the Mainland and international companies and markets. The event this year will feature an unprecedented number of Mainland Chinese big tech companies showcasing their latest innovations, as well as notable speakers and delegates from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Middle East, which solidifies Hong Kong's multifaceted business connections and landscape.
The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said, "With its strategic location and robust financial infrastructure, Hong Kong emerges as a 'super connector' and 'super value-adder' for fintech. Hong Kong is primed to lead the transformative journey to uncover the pathways to opportunities. Our city is ranked third in the latest Global Financial Centres Index and first in the Asia Pacific Region. In terms of fintech, Hong Kong rose five places to ninth, putting it among the top 10 fintech hubs globally. This reflects the concerted efforts of the Government, financial regulators, and industry players to promote fintech development in Hong Kong."
Mr Hui added that through various initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining strategic companies and talent, Hong Kong is ready for positive results from the FinTech Week, and the event this year will pave the way for connected, efficient, and sustainable global economic growth from fintech offerings.
Exploring tomorrow's solution today
With Hong Kong now ranking among the top three global financial centres and top 10 fintech centres globally, HKFW 2024 is poised to be a vibrant hub of ideas, innovations, and global collaborations, reinforcing Hong Kong's institutional advantages and abilities for breakthroughs in innovative financial services and leading market innovation.
This year, HKFW places a significant emphasis on cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). Recent surveys reveal that 38 per cent of finance executives in Hong Kong have initiated the incorporation of generative AI, marking the highest rate among all surveyed markets and notably surpassing the global average of 26 per cent.
The main conference will feature eight themed forums on the latest technologies and cross-industry connections. These forums include the Global Forum, AI & Advanced Tech Forum, Blockchain & Digital Assets Forum, Payments & Other FinTech Forum, InsurTech Forum, Green FinTech & Impact Forum, WealthTech & InvestTech Forum, and Hong Kong Connect Forum, offering participants a comprehensive view of the ever-evolving fintech landscape. The stages and zones will also be designed in the Chinese wisdom of "wuxing" and "yinyang".
A series of engaging community events will take place throughout the week, running from October 28 to November 1 in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. These events will include a tour of the Greater Bay Area, satellite and networking events, lifestyle activities and workshops and the inaugural Web3x3 basketball game.
The Director-General of Investment Promotion of InvestHK, Ms Alpha Lau, said, "As a leading international financial centre, fintech has always been an important pillar of the Hong Kong economy. Last year, Hong Kong climbed to the top 10 in the United Nations’ Global Frontier Technologies Readiness Index. This readiness to embrace technologies like blockchain and AI is essential to ensuring the long-term competitiveness of our financial services industry. We will continue to promote Hong Kong's strengths in financial services, innovation and technology, and family offices. And our strategic focus will be on enhancing our promotion drive in key markets, including ASEAN and the Middle East. Hong Kong FinTech Week will be an important platform to turn these foci areas into action. It is an engine to drive businesses to Hong Kong, as well as create bridges for our city's fintech ecosystem to capture global opportunities."
This year, semi-finalists of the Global Fast Track will be invited to Hong Kong to pitch in person on stage during HKFW, with the grand finale taking place on the second day. This is an unparalleled opportunity for qualified fintech innovators to showcase their profile in front of thousands of audience members, key corporates and investors looking for fintech solutions and investment opportunities. This year, the programme received an overwhelming response, with over 500 applications from 56 economies worldwide.
List of esteemed speakers at the main conference
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and regulators:
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan;
The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui;
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau;
The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue;
The Chief Executive Officer of the IA, Mr Clement Cheung;
The Executive Director (Intermediaries) of the SFC, Dr Eric Yip;
The Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan;
The Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong;
The Director-General of Investment Promotion of InvestHK, Ms Alpha Lau; and
The Deputy Director-General of Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Dr Jimmy Chiang.
Mainland Government and regulators:
The Director of the Local Financial Management Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Mr Shi Weigan; and
The Director-General of the Guangzhou Municipal Local Finance Administration Bureau, Mr Fu Xiaochu.
Industry leaders:
Highlighted speakers in the tech space:
The Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Xiaomi Corporation, Mr Alain Lam;
The Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Linklogis, Mr Charles Song;
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ant Group, Mr Eric Jing;
The Corporate Vice President, Head of Tencent Financial Technology of Tencent, Mr Forest Lin; and
The Managing Director and General Manager, Sales and Operations of Google Hong Kong, Mr Michael Yue.
Highlighted speakers in the AI and advanced technologies space:
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of 4Paradigm, Mr Dai Wenyuan;
The Founder of 3Cap Investment, Ms Esther Wong;
The Chief Executive Officer of Fosun Capital, Mr Mike Xu;
The Co-founder of SenseTime, Mr Xu Bing; and
The Chief Executive Officer of Du Xiaoman Technology, Mr Zhu Guang.
Highlighted speakers in the blockchain space:
The Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of R3, Mr David E. Rutter;
The Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of Circle, Mr Jeremy Allaire;
The President of Solana Foundation, Ms Lily Liu;
The Chief Executive Officer of Bullish, Mr Tom Farley; and
The Co-founder of Chainlink; Mr Sergey Nazarov.
Highlighted speakers in the insurtech space:
The Chief Executive Officer of AIA Hong Kong and Macau, Mr Alger Fung;
The Chief Executive Officer of Sun Life Hong Kong , Mr Clement Lam;
The Chief Executive Officer of Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong), Mr Eric Hui;
The Chief Executive Officer of AXA, Greater China, Ms Sally Wan; and
The Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Waterdrop Inc, Mr Shen Peng.
Highlighted speakers in the payment space:
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aspire, Mr Andrea Baronchelli;
The Chief Executive Officer of PayMe, HSBC, Mr Brad Jones;
The President and Chief Executive Officer of GCash/Mynt, Ms Martha Sazon;
The Global Head of Coin Systems and Liink by JP Morgan, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Mr Naveen Mallela; and
The Chief Executive Officer of GX Bank, Ms Pei Si Lai.
Highlighted speakers in the financial space:
The General Manager, Personal Digital Banking Product Department of Bank of China (Hong Kong), Mr Arnold Chow;
The International President of Standard Chartered, Mr Benjamin Hung;
The Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of WeBank, Mr Henry Ma;
The Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong, of HSBC, Ms Luanne Lim; and
The Head of Services of Citi, Mr Shahmir Khaliq.
Highlighted speakers in the Venture Capital & Investing space:
The Managing Partner of GCCVest Advisors Limited, Mr Ben Jelloun;
The Managing Principal, Global Head of Capital Markets, Co-Chair of Alternative Investments of Gaw Capital Partners, Ms Christina Gaw;
Partner of 5Y Capital, Mr Elwin Yuan;
The Co-founder and Managing Partner of DST Global, Mr John Lindfors; and
The Co-founder and Chairman of Gobi Partners, Mr Thomas G. Tsao.
Finoverse is the appointed event organiser of HKFW 2024. For more information and the latest updates on speakers and livestream details, please visit www.fintechweek.hk/, or follow via official social media accounts:
LinkedIn: Hong Kong Fintech Week; and
YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/HongKongFinTechWeek.
Hong Kong FinTech Week 2024 "Illuminating New Pathways in Fintech" details released Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong FinTech Week 2024 "Illuminating New Pathways in Fintech" details released Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong FinTech Week 2024 "Illuminating New Pathways in Fintech" details released Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements summarises visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during National Day Golden Week
The seven-day National Day Golden Week of the Mainland ended yesterday (October 7), with the overall number of inbound visitors aligning with earlier estimates. The number recorded on National Day (October 1) reached a daily record high since the post-pandemic full opening of the borders.
During the seven-day National Day Golden Week, the Immigration Department recorded a total of around 1.38 million visitors coming to Hong Kong through various sea, land and air control points. Among them, Mainland visitors accounted for about 1.22 million, representing 88 per cent of the total arrivals. The daily average of Mainland visitors was around 170 000, which exceeded that of the 2023 National Day Golden Week and the 2024 Labour Day Golden Week around 27 per cent and some 13 per cent respectively.
Mainland inbound visitor arrivals peaked on National Day with around 220 000 visitors arriving in Hong Kong, marking a daily record high since the post-pandemic opening of the borders and setting a corresponding record for the overall number of visitors to Hong Kong in a single day. During the National Day Golden Week, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and the Express Rail Link West Kowloon were the two ports with the highest daily average number of Mainland visitors, and operations at various control points and transport services ran smoothly.
Regarding large-scale events, the National Day Fireworks Display over Victoria Harbour on October 1 attracted over 330 000 spectators. The event concluded with effective crowd control arrangements and was well-received by local residents and tourists.
Visitors went to different parts of Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week, with high visitor flow observed at major tourist attractions including the West Kowloon Cultural District, Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, the Peak Tram and Ngong Ping 360. Smooth and effective crowd management measures were implemented. In addition, according to the information provided by the hotel industry, the overall hotel occupancy rate during the first four days of the Golden Week (October 1 to 4) reached 90 per cent.
In terms of tour groups, according to the Travel Industry Authority's information, around 1 050 Mainland inbound tour groups visited Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week, with around 80 per cent engaged in overnight itineraries. These tour groups involved around 36 000 visitors, accounting for around 3 per cent of all Mainland visitors, and they were generally in good order.
The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, is pleased to note that the rich array of National Day special offers from the Government and various sectors of society were well-received by the public. Among them, the 1st October Movie Fiesta: Half-Price Spectacular 2024 organised by the Hong Kong Theatres Association and subsidised by the Government took place in 59 commercial theatres across Hong Kong. On the day of the event, there were nearly 2 000 screenings, with cumulative admissions reaching 189 000, breaking last year's record of 155 000 and representing an increase of 22 per cent. Free admission was offered to museums and art spaces under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department on October 1, attracting nearly 60 000 attendees. Among them, there were more than 11 000 visitors to the Hong Kong Space Museum, setting a record for single-day attendance.
In addition, several public transportation services provided free rides or discounts during National Day, benefitting a total of approximately 4.43 million passengers. Different sectors such as catering and retail actively launched special offers to attract spending from both locals and visitors, contributing to a festive atmosphere throughout the city. Various trade representatives and merchants reported increased customer flow and business during National Day.
The embarkation and disembarkation arrangements for two homeport deployments of a mega cruise ship at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (KTCT) during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland were smooth, with various transport services arranged to adequately meet visitor needs. Notably, direct coach services connecting the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point and KTCT were arranged by the Hong Kong Tourism Board in collaboration with a local coach operator to provide facilitation for a total of 3 500 Mainland visitors.
Mr Chan said, "Thanks to the concerted efforts of relevant government departments, organisations and industries in making preparations and responses, this year's arrangements for receiving visitors during the National Day Golden Week operated smoothly, enabling both locals and visitors to celebrate National Day together. The Government will draw on this experience and further enhance various arrangements in future to provide an even better experience for visitors to Hong Kong during festive periods."
