On October 8th, Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) 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. As the official media partner, MetaEra will provide comprehensive support for event coverage throughout the entire duration.
 
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.