The event brought together government officials, regulators, innovators, and industry leaders from around the world for a series of panels, keynote speeches, and strategic discussions. The joint celebration of two flagship events reaffirmed Hong Kong’s commitment to advancing the digital economy.

The entire week attracted a record high of over 45,000 visitors from over 120 economies and featured over 1,000 distinguished speakers, over 800 exhibitors, and more than 30 Chinese Mainland and international delegations.

The event was organised by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, and Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the Insurance Authority (IA), and the appointed event organiser, Finoverse.

Celebrating a Decade of Excellence

At the inaugural convergence of the two flagship events, the Chief Executive, John Lee, officiated at the opening of the main conference.

The main conference showcased 11 themed forums. These included the Policy Forum, Visionary Forum, Insurtech Forum, Healthtech Forum, Wealth & Investment Management Forum, Digital Finance Forum, Digital Assets Forum, Blockchain & Web3 Forum, AI & Advanced Tech Forum, China-Global Innovation Forum, and TechX Forum.

Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank of China, Lu Lei, attended the main conference and highlighted the fintech collaboration between the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, which has driven advancements such as interoperable cross-boundary payments and e-CNY use cases, unlocking new efficiencies.

He emphasised the importance of payment innovation, promoting connectivity and fostering integrated economic development between the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong. This comes as China charts its 15th Five-Year Plan and reaffirms Hong Kong’s role as an international financial centre.

Lu noted the continuous expansion of the RMB Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) in Hong Kong, including the launch of Hong Kong dollar clearing services as well as southbound and northbound fund settlement functions under Bond Connect.

The Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, delivered a keynote address and participated in a panel discussion moderated by the Director-General of Investment Promotion of InvestHK, Alpha Lau. Joining Chan on the panel were the Group Chief Executive of HSBC, Georges Elhedery, and the Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered, Bill Winters.

With around 1,200 fintech companies in Hong Kong, Chan shared three key observations from the journey in building a vibrant fintech ecosystem: financial inclusion as an objective, regulators as enablers of innovation, and responsible and sustainable innovation.

At the panel discussion “Curating the New Fintech Era”, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui, highlighted blockchain and AI as the transformative technologies for Hong Kong’s financial services.

Hui also noted the important role that regulatory sandboxes and subsidy programmes play in the city’s fintech ecosystem. They are not only the crucial driver in cultivating innovation but also conducive to obtaining valuable views and feedback from the market for better review and enhancement of existing policy and regulatory frameworks.

The President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Jin Liqun, attended the Main Conference and shared insights on how financial innovation can help maintain and support nature and ecological conservation. He remarked,

“Once we can verify nature as an asset, we can make it investable. We can digitise and scale it to make it sustainable in the long run.”

He also announced the AIIB’s plan to set up an office in Hong Kong to address its growing business needs.

Charging Ahead with Heart: Policy and Ecosystem Perspectives

The Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Joseph Chan, engaged in an in-depth dialogue with ex-Chairman of Meitu and Angel Investor Cai Wensheng at the Main Conference. Chan detailed Hong Kong’s latest growth in the digital asset space. Chan stated that the government is promoting the development of digital assets in a sustainable and responsible manner. He added,

“As Asia’s leading international financial centre, in June 2025, we issued the Policy Statement 2.0 on the Development of Digital Assets in Hong Kong, reinforcing its commitment to establishing Hong Kong as a global hub for innovation in the digital asset field.”

The Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Lillian Cheong, in a video speech, outlined the government’s strategic investments in I&T (innovation and technology) infrastructure, talent, and industry development, with a view to fostering a vibrant I&T ecosystem in the city and building Hong Kong into a new real economy.

She pointed out that the government strives to consolidate Hong Kong’s strengths in I&T through a series of support measures by better coordinating the upstream, midstream, and downstream development. She extended a sincere invitation to fintech companies and start-ups to leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages that underpin its status as a global innovation hub and set up or expand businesses in the city.

The Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Diane Wong, delivered a keynote speech on Hong Kong’s environmental and sustainability achievements to date, highlighting the pivotal role played by technological innovation under decarbonisation strategies.

“To combat climate change effectively, we need to adopt appropriate measures on climate adaptation and resilience, to protect the lives and property of our people from extreme weather events. AI and robots are playing an increasingly important role in these areas,” she said.

Wong added that the Government attaches importance to adopting innovative technologies in its work.

She quoted the example of the Hong Kong Observatory, which has been running several AI models to support operational forecasting, such as tropical cyclone track forecasting, since mid-2023. The AI models have successfully forecast several tropical cyclones this year, with an accuracy better than traditional weather prediction models.

Shaping the Future of Finance Through Digital Transformation and Trust

The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Eddie Yue, outlined the four strategic pillars of the HKMA’s “Fintech 2030” vision: Data and Payment Infrastructure, AI, Resilience, and Tokenisation, collectively known as “DART”.

He stated that this strategy aims to establish Hong Kong as a robust, resilient, and future-ready fintech hub, detailing how each pillar will drive the next chapter of fintech in the city.

Reflecting on the evolution of Hong Kong’s fintech landscape over the past decade, he introduced the strategy for the upcoming Fintech 3.0 era, characterised by technology embedded in daily life, underpinned by trust, transparency, and intelligence to create a real-world impact and lasting resilience.

Yue also noted AI’s transition from an experimental phase to a significant innovation driver, with over three-quarters of the city’s banks implementing or piloting AI solutions. He emphasised the importance of deeper collaboration across the industry to develop a shared and scalable AI infrastructure that would benefit the banking industry.

He reaffirmed that tokenisation remains a key priority and highlighted the role of the HKMA as an enabler and facilitator in building an interoperable and trusted network, which will lay the foundation for a vibrant tokenised asset market. Lastly, Yue stressed that resilience involves not just withstanding shocks, but being secure, adaptive, and future-ready in the face of new innovations.

Chief Executive Officer of the SFC, Julia Leung, opened the fireside chat by highlighting two new circulars to be issued that day (3 November 2025). These allowed Virtual Asset Trading Platforms (VATPs) to share a global order book with their overseas affiliates, connecting the Hong Kong market with global liquidity.

The circulars also expanded VATPs’ service and product offerings in all types of digital assets.

Leung also discussed the recent joint consultations by the SFC and Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau on the regulatory framework for virtual asset dealers and custodians, noting positive feedback received.

She revealed plans to extend the licensing regime to include virtual asset advisory and management, with discussions underway with the Government. The new custody regime will focus on managing risks linked to private keys. The SFC expects to license only the most robust and reliable players to ensure a secure environment.

The Chief Executive Officer of the IA, Clement Cheung, emphasised that the key takeaway from the technological advances in the past few years is that “development is paramount but has to be balanced with regulation”.

He acknowledged the rapid progress in technology development within the insurance industry, generative AI, and blockchain, for example, as “breathtaking”.

Taking a dual approach in balancing regulation and development to foster sustainability, he highlighted a series of milestone initiatives of the IA that promote the adoption of advanced technologies and strengthen operational resilience of the industry, including the Open API Framework, the Cyber Resilience Assessment Framework, and the AI Cohort Programme. He also announced the publication of the Whitepaper on Federated Learning.

Cheung stressed that as the insurance sector evolves, regulators must navigate in a balanced and enlightened manner to promote inclusive and responsible innovation.

Collaboration is Key: Redefining the Innovation Frontier

Frontier technology, from biotech and fintech to AI and Web3, was the centre of celebration as companies and start-ups took to various stages and panels to discuss what they have been able to achieve in the space.

Nobel Laureate in Physics, Professor Emeritus of the University of Toronto, Geoffrey Hinton, shared at the event on the future of AI.

Professor Hinton introduced his groundbreaking “Mother AI” theory, emphasising the importance of ensuring AI genuinely cares for humanity rather than replacing it. He outlined strategies to mitigate AI-related risks and highlighted opportunities to foster innovation aligned with human values amid rapid technological advancement, while underscoring Asia’s key role in driving AI innovation.

Co-founder and Managing Partner of DST Global, John Lindfors, and the Founding Managing Partner of Qiming Venture Partners, Duane Kuang, joined the forum session to exchange insights on how disruptive technologies are reshaping global growth opportunities.

They shared perspectives on the rapid maturation of innovation, from AI and biotech to digital assets, into scalable, investable markets, and highlighted how new investment vehicles are opening greater access for investors worldwide.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Templeton, Jenny Johnson, predicted that the next wave of major companies will emerge from the AI and crypto innovation.

She emphasised that while AI and blockchain are transformative, the biggest challenge is organisational change management, where start-ups adapt faster than incumbents. Johnson noted that current AI investment gains are concentrated among infrastructure providers such as chipmakers and cloud services, but future growth will come as firms learn to expand margins using AI.

She also highlighted real-world crypto and NFT (non-fungible token) applications, such as luxury goods authentication and bandwidth sharing, and praised Hong Kong’s progressive blockchain regulation as a model for innovation.

The President of the Solana Foundation, Lily Liu, discussed how digital asset treasuries (DATs) and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) are complementary tools for traditional investors, but stressed the need to filter them for long-term quality amid speculative cycles.

She highlighted how the evolution of technologies such as stablecoins reflects a broader transformation in financial infrastructure, where decentralised platforms increasingly play a central role in profit generation and capital flow.

On another panel, Co-Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, Tomasz Stańczak, emphasised stablecoins’ role in improving cross-border payments and driving institutional interest in tokenised assets.

During the main conference, a series of curated media tours highlighted Hong Kong’s role as a global financial and innovation hub.

Key moments included exclusive sessions with Chinese Mainland tech giants. Tencent introduced its vision for cross-boundary payment services; WeBank focused on HQ-driven innovation; and Ant Digital Technologies underscored Hong Kong’s strategic advantages for global expansion and cutting-edge fintech solutions.

Other tours showcased Hong Kong as a “super connector” for emerging markets with delegations led by the Dubai International Financial Centre and the National Innovation Agency of Thailand. Another tour positioned Hong Kong as a launch pad for Chinese Mainland firms to go global, featuring the Shenzhen Financial Technology Association and the Zhongguancun Financial Technology Industry Development Alliance.

Marking the conclusion of the HKFW x SMUF 2025, Lau said that the unprecedented success of the HKFW x SMUF 2025 speaks volumes about the vibrancy, depth, and resilience of our financial innovation and start-up ecosystem. She added,

“We are grateful to all our partners, speakers and participants from around the world who came together to make this our largest and most impactful edition yet.”

She continued, stating that as they looked to the next decade, InvestHK will remain steadfast in its commitment to connect global companies with Hong Kong’s dynamic ecosystem, empowering them to scale across Asia and beyond, driving innovation, commercialisation, and creating more cross-border collaboration opportunities.

For more details and highlights from HKFW x SMUF 2025, such as Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 highlights, please visit www.fintechweek.hk or follow via the official social media accounts: LinkedIn: Hong Kong FinTech Week; and YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/HongKongFinTechWeek.

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The partnership was formalised with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between XTransfer Founder and CEO Bill Deng and Bank SinoPac Hong Kong Branch Chief Executive Lin Chia Yun during Hong Kong FinTech Week 2025.

Under the agreement, the two parties will work together to strengthen XTransfer’s cross-border payment capabilities.

In the first phase, with support from Bank SinoPac Hong Kong Branch’s network and services, XTransfer will offer over 700,000 clients access to Global Accounts, Local Currency Accounts, and foreign exchange (FX) services.

The collaboration also plans to expand into Vietnam, Taiwan, and other markets, enabling customers to settle foreign currency proceeds to mainland China.

Through the Local Currency Accounts service, XTransfer clients can receive payments directly from buyers in their respective currencies, reducing foreign exchange losses caused by intermediary bank conversions.

Buyers can also make payments in their local currencies, lowering remittance costs and improving transaction efficiency and cash flow.

Bill Deng said,

“By strengthening local collection and multi-currency settlement capabilities, we aim to make cross-border payments faster, cheaper, and more reliable for SMEs while maintaining strong compliance and risk management standards.”

Lin Chia Yun commented,

“This collaboration with XTransfer reflects our shared commitment to creating value for businesses. Through joint efforts, we aim to deliver improved services and experiences for our clients and continue exploring further cooperation opportunities.”

Featured image credit: XTransfer

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Following the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) launch of its “Fintech 2030” vision, Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered, spoke at a panel titled “Sustaining Excellence: Hong Kong’s Role in the Future of International Financial Centre”, highlighting the city’s strengths as a global financial hub.

Senior leaders from the bank also led seminars on topics including tokenisation, Web3 development, open banking, and generative AI.

Mary Huen, CEO for Hong Kong and Greater China & North Asia at Standard Chartered, said,

“The future of banking lies in leveraging fintech to deliver services that meet the needs of a hyper-connected world. With digital assets being a key and lasting component, Standard Chartered is committed to addressing clients’ evolving needs and driving growth through diverse solutions.”

The bank plans to launch digital asset custody services for Bitcoin and Ethereum, the two largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation, in January 2026.

These services will complement its existing offerings in Luxembourg and the UAE (via the Dubai International Financial Centre), according to FF News.

Standard Chartered also participates in several HKMA-led initiatives aimed at advancing Hong Kong’s digital asset ecosystem, including Project Ensemble, Project mBridge, the e-HKD Pilot Programme, the GenA.I. Sandbox, and the Supervisory Incubator for Distributed Ledger Technology.

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The company highlighted its efforts to advance the fintech sector through developments in cloud computing and AI.

Throughout the event, Tencent Cloud’s booth drew interest from financial institutions, technology partners, and industry professionals, featuring demonstrations of solutions including Tencent Yuanbao, the eKYC facial-recognition tool, the Agent Development Platform (ADP), and the CodeBuddy AI assistant.

These technologies aim to help financial institutions enhance security, improve operational efficiency, and support digital transformation across markets.

Tencent Cloud currently serves over 10,000 financial clients in 20 countries and regions, with nearly 400 overseas customers recording double-digit growth.

In Hong Kong, its partners include Futu Securities, Fusion Bank, Airstar Bank, AIA, and BOC (HK).

Recent collaborations involved assisting Fusion Bank with a core-banking system migration completed within 15 hours, and supporting Airstar Bank’s transition to full cloud operations to improve performance, cost efficiency, and agility under local compliance requirements.

Dr Yanxin Yu, Managing Director of Consulting at Tencent Cloud, delivered a keynote titled “Digital Convergence & Strategic Partnerships: Tencent’s Vision for Future-Proof Business” at the AI & Advanced Tech Forum.

The session examined how digital convergence is reshaping financial services and the importance of strategic collaboration.

“Financial institutions are successfully navigating an unprecedented era of digital transformation,”

said Dr Yu.

“The positive response we received at Fintech Week confirms that our intelligent cloud solutions and collaborative approach are effectively empowering businesses to lead innovation in the fintech landscape.”

Tencent Cloud representatives also took part in panel discussions.

Lorence Liao, Head of International AI Architecture, joined the session “From Core to Collaboration: Reinventing Banking Through Platforms and Partnerships,” discussing the shift from traditional systems to platform-based banking models enabled by cloud and AI.

Jared Jiang, Deputy General Manager, participated in “AI x Identity: Deepfakes, Trust, and the Future of Reality,” addressing digital identity security and methods to strengthen trust in financial transactions.

Additionally, the Hong Kong Fintech Week x Tencent Roundtable brought together industry leaders to discuss emerging trends and partnership opportunities, generating interest in Tencent Cloud’s approach to secure and innovative financial ecosystems.

Featured image credit: Tencent Cloud

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At the event, WeBank presented its work in technological innovation, practical applications, and inclusive finance.

WeBank Technology Services highlighted its focus on technology exports and establishing a strategic presence in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Fintech Week x StartmeupHK Festival, jointly hosted by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, and InvestHK, ran from 3 to 7 November at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This year’s theme was “Curating the New Fintech Era.” The event drew over 37,000 participants from more than 100 economies, with more than 800 speakers and over 700 exhibitors.

On the first day, John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and other government officials visited the WeBank booth.

WeBank shared its inclusive finance products, distributed core banking system, AI applications, and Web3-inspired digital artworks.

The bank’s proprietary distributed core banking system supports annual IT O&M costs per account of US$0.3, peak daily transaction volumes exceeding 1.4 billion, and system availability of 99.999%.

To date, WeBank has served over 430 million individual customers and more than six million MSMEs.

With the development of AI, WeBank is positioning itself as an AI-native bank, deploying over 100 AI-focused applications, more than 730 agents, and over 50 digital employees to improve efficiency.

At Fintech Week, the bank demonstrated its AI-native banking roadmap, selected AI use cases, and a live interaction with its digital employee, Emily Ye.

Henry Ma, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of WeBank and Director of WeBank Technology Services, said:

“The financial industry is undergoing a profound transformation, and the future of AI-native banking is within reach. We are leveraging AI to empower business processes, create digital employees, and explore next-generation human-AI interaction models to make financial services smarter and more inclusive.”

WeBank Technology Services aims to establish its Hong Kong headquarters as a global sales and innovation centre.

Building on WeBank’s capabilities, it offers digital finance and infrastructure solutions internationally, supporting financial digitalisation and local digital economies.

The company has expanded into Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, engaging with over 20 potential partners and securing cooperation agreements exceeding US$100 million.

Featured image credit: WeBank

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The partnership will focus on payment and collection solutions, transaction processing, and cash management for SMEs engaged in foreign trade.

Following a previous agreement with SPD Bank’s Shanghai Branch in September, this collaboration extends to the Hong Kong Branch.

The memorandum of cooperation was signed at the XTransfer booth during Hong Kong Fintech Week.

Under the partnership, XTransfer clients will have access to services including “Global Accounts,” “Local Currency Accounts,” transaction processing, and cash management through SPD Bank’s Hong Kong branch.

Initial cooperation will focus on the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, with plans to expand to additional regions over time.

Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer said,

“By combining SPD Bank’s expertise and resource advantages in cross-border finance with XTransfer’s global network and technological capabilities, we can further strengthen end-to-end transaction processing and compliance governance, providing SMEs with integrated cross-border financial infrastructure.”

Zhu Jun, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SPD Bank added,

“SPD Bank will continue to collaborate closely with XTransfer, aiming to enhance our cross-border financial service system, providing more convenient and reliable financial support for Chinese enterprises expanding globally.”

The two parties plan to further collaborate on local accounts, multi-currency settlement, compliance and risk control, and interconnection of global payment and collection networks to support cross-border trade finance for SMEs.

Featured image credit: XTransfer

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“Hong Kong is made for collaboration. Built for innovation, for companies, entrepreneurs, investors and professionals.”

Those were the opening words of John KC Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as he officially kicked off Day 1 of the Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025.

The event opened with record-breaking energy, marking its 10th anniversary with the largest fintech gathering in the city’s history. It drew over 37,000 participants, 800 speakers, and 700 exhibitors from more than 100 economies, said John Lee, underscoring Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s fintech powerhouse and global connector.

Across the keynotes and forums, Day 1 set a definitive tone for the week ahead in Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025. It brought together policymakers, bankers, investors, and technologists to explore Hong Kong’s next chapter in finance.

Discussions ranged from the rise of AI, stablecoins, and biotech as the next trillion-dollar opportunities to the HKMA’s Fintech 2030 vision, centred on data, artificial intelligence, resilience, and tokenisation.

Here are five key highlights that capture the essence of the city’s evolving fintech story.

Charting the Next Fintech Chapter

A panel featuring Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR; Eric Xiandong Jing, Chairman of Ant Group; and Fred Hu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Primavera Capital Group, moderated by Drew Propson, Head, Technology and Innovation in Financial Services at the World Economic Forum, explored emerging technologies in Hong Kong’s financial landscape.

During the session titled Curating the New Fintech Era, Christopher Hui identified blockchain and artificial intelligence as the most transformative technologies for Hong Kong’s financial sector. Citing HKMA data, he said about 75% of local financial institutions have already adopted or piloted generative AI, with that figure expected to surpass 87% within three to five years.

He also emphasised the importance of regulatory sandboxes and subsidy programmes in driving innovation and refining policy and regulatory frameworks.

Meanwhile, Eric Jing predicted a rapid adoption of genAI across financial services, from AI-powered customer-facing account managers to tokenisation for real-time global settlements. He emphasised Hong Kong’s position as an international financial hub that enables Chinese companies to expand globally, urging continued efforts to build on that advantage.

Fred Hu highlighted three areas to watch: automation in wealth management, the growth of green finance, and improvements in cross-border transaction efficiency and security. He called the Hong Kong government to prioritise cross-border data connectivity, as this would reduce data fragmentation. He also expressed his optimism about deeper data-sharing between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland.

Watch the full session here.

FinTech 2030 Sets the Stage for Hong Kong’s Fintech 3.0 Era

“Our forthcoming AI Strategy will unite banks, tech innovators, and academia to embed AI deeply into the sector’s infrastructure, in a way that is safe, scalable and future-proof.”

That was the message from Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), during his keynote address, as he unveiled the four strategic pillars of HKMA’s Fintech 2030 vision: data, AI, resilience, and tokenisation. Together, these pillars are designed to reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a resilient, future-ready global financial hub.

Reflecting on the city’s fintech journey over the past decade, Eddie Yue described the next chapter as Hong Kong’s “Fintech 3.0 Era”, one where technology is seamlessly embedded in daily life, underpinned by trust, transparency, and intelligence.

On AI, Eddie Yue noted that the technology has moved from experimental to essential, with over three-quarters of Hong Kong’s banks already deploying AI solutions. He called for greater industry collaboration to co-create a shared AI infrastructure, as this would enable smaller and mid-sized banks to access and benefit from the technology, too.

He also reaffirmed tokenisation as a top priority, calling it a key enabler for cross-border investments and frictionless financial infrastructure. Finally, he highlighted resilience as more than just the ability to withstand shocks. It is also the capability to stay secure, adaptive, and forward-looking through every new wave of innovation.

Watch the keynote replay here.

Hong Kong’s Role in the Future of International Financial Centres

In the segment on Sustaining Excellence: Hong Kong’s Role in the Future of International Financial Centre, Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR, outlined Hong Kong’s strategic vision for financial innovation, underscoring the role of regulators as enablers.

He highlighted initiatives such as Project Ensemble, the tokenisation of green bonds, and the government’s AI+ strategy, all aimed at ensuring Hong Kong’s financial system remains sustainable, secure, and globally competitive. He shared,

“In the financial sector, we firmly believe that digitalisation is a transformative force that must be embraced. It enhances efficiency, reduces costs, enables more personalised services, and plays a critical role in promoting financial inclusion.”

The session brought together some of the most influential voices shaping global finance. Aside from Paul Chan, it also featured Georges Elhedery, Group Chief Executive of HSBC, and Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered. Alpha Lau, Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, moderated the discussion.

The discussion, one of many in Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025, explored Hong Kong’s role as both a bridge linking global institutions with the Chinese Mainland and a launchpad for Mainland enterprises going global.

Panellists agreed that Hong Kong is on track to surpass Switzerland as the world’s leading cross-border wealth management hub, supported by its robust financial ecosystem, live adoption of tokenised assets and blockchain settlements, and the expansion of “Connect” schemes into the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Watch the full session here.

AI, Stablecoins and Biotech Supercharge the Next $1 Trillion Asset Class

In the session titled Tech Megatrends and the Next $1 Trillion Asset Class, Duane Kuang, Founding Managing Partner at Qiming Venture Partners, and John Lindfors, Co-founder and Managing Partner at DST Global, explored the technologies shaping the next transformative wave in technology and investment.

The discussion was moderated by Emily Tan, Anchor and Senior Correspondent at CNBC International.

The panellists identified AI as the most transformative megatrend, pointing to Nvidia’s $5 trillion market capitalisation as a symbol of the sector’s exponential growth.

While valuations may appear overheated in the short term, both experts agreed that AI is far from an industry-wide bubble, particularly in China, where AI remains relatively underdeveloped compared to the United States. Both Kuang and Lindfors also emphasised that the strength of evaluating teams and market potential mattered more than traditional financial metrics for early-stage AI firms.

The conversation also turned to stablecoins, now adopted and regulated in 11 key jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the UK, the US, and the UAE and catalysing innovation in cross-border payment systems.

View the replay here.

Reimagining Personal Banking With Technology, Trust and Self-Sufficiency

In the segment on Personal Banking in the Platform Era: Trust, Technology, and Cross-Border Access, leading figures from regional and international banks shared how AI, digitalisation, and cross-border integration are reshaping the personal banking landscape.

The discussion underscored how trust, data, and technology now define the next phase of competition and growth for financial institutions.

Arnold Chow, General Manager of the Personal Banking Product Department at Bank of China (Hong Kong), highlighted the bank’s digital transformation journey over the past five years, which has lifted efficiency by 8% and grown market share to 30% in select product segments.

He noted that AI is now embedded across wealth and risk protection as well as for training for frontline staff, with upcoming plans to deepen digital partnerships within and beyond the Greater Bay Area.

Alfian Sharifuddin, Managing Director and Head of Technology and Operations for Hong Kong and Mainland China at DBS Bank Hong Kong, spoke on the importance of trust in AI. To mitigate the risks of AI hallucinations, DBS has implemented a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) framework that enables its Large Language Model to operate in a controlled environment.

Colin Cui, Vice President and Head of Regional Finance Business at Huawei Asia Pacific, detailed how the company’s continuous reinvestment of roughly 20% of its annual revenue into R&D enables Huawei to self-design and manufacture competitive solutions. This ensures a rapid response to market trends and customer needs.

Huiya Yao, Head of Fintech Innovation at WeBank, emphasised that AI adoption requires a mindset shift across all banks, including mid-tier enterprises. WeBank’s internal AI training and certification programme equips teams with AI literacy, complemented by a delivery model that empowers its business departments to develop their own AI applications.

Moderated by King Leung, Global Head of Financial Services, Fintech and Sustainability at Invest Hong Kong, the discussion concluded with his observations. He shared that China continues to lead in advanced technology adoption, while Hong Kong’s position as a fintech hub drives competition, innovation and its crucial role within the Greater Bay Area.

Follow the latest updates on the Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 from Fintech News Hong Kong.

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The solution aims to address gaps in the bond market, where analysis has traditionally been confined to high-level ratings from major agencies with limited coverage and insufficient insights for precise portfolio decisions. BondWise would change this by providing in-depth analysis at the individual bond level for every investor, from retail to institutional.

Dor Eligula, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of BridgeWise, shared,

“Our focus has always been to make complex financial data accessible and meaningful. With BondWise, we’re extending that approach to fixed income, bringing transparency and understanding to a market that has often felt unclear for many investors.”

BondWise reports would include textual explanations with comparative rankings across a variety of key parameters, which would make complex bond evaluation easy to understand.

Its users may also compare bonds across a given sector as well as the different bond types offered within a single company to find the right combination of low-risk, high-yield opportunities that balance safety and performance.

BondWise is powered by BridgeWise’s proprietary AI for investments, enabling expansive coverage across thousands of bonds, where data would otherwise be scattered or inaccessible.

Kelvin Phua, General Manager, Asia Pacific at BridgeWise, added on about the significance of BondWise in Hong Kong,

“In a market like Hong Kong, where bonds are increasingly part of the investment conversation, our AI-driven insights help institutions support both sophisticated clients and newcomers with the clarity they need to make informed decisions.”

BridgeWise provides investment intelligence to over 50 institutional clients and 25 million end users across more than 15 languages.

Aside from offices in Japan, Singapore, the US, London, Brazil, Thailand, Israel, and Dubai, BridgeWise also partners with global institutions, including Japan Exchange Group, SIX Swiss Exchange, B3, eToro, TASE, and Rakuten Securities.

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Joined by leaders from the banking and technology sectors, Ng discussed how ZA Bank is leveraging Interbank Account Data Sharing (IADS) to deliver practical, user-focused applications and emphasised the importance of industry collaboration in advancing open banking.

Guided by its vision of being “Your Future Bank for Now,” ZA Bank continues to apply technology to make banking simpler and more intuitive.

“The true value of IADS lies not just in data sharing, but in how that data is transformed into features that make customers’ daily lives easier,”

Ng said.

The bank has introduced an IADS-enabled instant loan approval feature that allows users to authorise data sharing from other banks for automatic credit assessment, removing the need for document uploads.

ZA Bank also plans to extend IADS applications to areas such as one-click eDDA setup for automatic loan repayments, repayment scheduling based on salary cycles, and personalised financial insights powered by real-time data.

Ng noted that open banking represents more than a technological development, it marks a shift in user experience.

“Technology should simplify life, not complicate it. At ZA Bank, we aim to make banking more intuitive and human. The future of finance lies in proactive, data-driven services that anticipate users’ needs, not just respond to them,”

he said.

ZA Bank maintains that collaboration across the fintech ecosystem is essential to drive innovation and develop more personalised and flexible solutions.

Featured image credit: ZA Bank

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Clement Cheung, Chief Executive Officer of the IA, remarked that

“Given the rapidly evolving market landscape, financial regulators must navigate in a balanced and enlightened manner to promote inclusive and responsible innovation. Seen in this context, Federated Learning plays a useful role in enabling cross-sector data collaboration without compromising personal privacy.”

In his keynote address, Cheung outlined several initiatives led by the IA to enhance operational resilience and support the adoption of advanced technologies.

These include the Open API Framework, the Cyber Resilience Assessment Framework, the AI Cohort Programme, and the new Whitepaper on Federated Learning.

Additionally, the Insurtech Forum, co-hosted by the IA and InvestHK, featured panel discussions on how innovation is transforming marketing strategies, corporate culture, and customer experience within the insurance industry.

Featured image credit: Insurance Authority

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