Hong Kong FinTech Week 2021 to lead scaling up for fintech future

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) today (20 October 2021) announced details of Hong Kong FinTech Week 2021, themed "Scaling FinTech Future Together", which will be held in hybrid form, comprising both physical and virtual formats, from November 1 to 5.

Organised by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) and InvestHK, and co-organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the Insurance Authority (IA), the sixth edition of FinTech Week will provide a platform for information technology companies, fintech firms, and financial institutions in banking, insurance and asset management sectors, as well as investors, regulators and more, from all over the world to explore how emerging technologies and innovative advances can power the future of financial services to maximise benefits for consumers, business and society at large.

The Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, said, "As a leading international financial hub in Asia, Hong Kong is an ideal place for development of fintech business. Fintech companies enjoy tremendous access to potential clients, investors and business partners in Hong Kong, where many financial institutions and multinational companies have set up their Asia regional headquarters or their biggest business presence in Asia."

The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Stephen Phillips, said, "The essence of Hong Kong Fintech Week is one of collaboration: the Government’s Hong Kong Inc and the private sector will work together to showcase the vibrant fintech ecosystem here, and its relevance to Asia and the world, putting forward the case for fintech enterprises to fast-track their success in the city. Collectively, we will enable a unified vision of a bigger and better fintech future."

Comprehensive programme and impressive speaker lineup

This year's Hong Kong FinTech Week is expected to attract over 250 speakers, along with over 400 exhibitors and more than 30 delegations. Featured speakers for 2021 include:

Government speakers:

• The Governor of the People's Bank of China, Mr Yi Gang;
• The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan;
• The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui;
• The Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit; and
• The Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan.

Regulator speakers:

• The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue;
• The Chief Executive Officer of the IA, Mr Clement Cheung; and
• The Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Intermediaries, of the SFC, Ms Julia Leung.

Industry speakers:

• The Executive Vice Chairman of Alibaba Group, Mr Joseph Tsai;
• The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock, Mr Larry Fink;
• The Chief Executive Officer of Citi, Ms Jane Fraser;
• The Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered, Mr Bill Winters;
• The Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Mr Nicolas Aguzin;
• The Founding and Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital China and Steward of Sequoia Capital, Mr Neil Shen;
• The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hillhouse Group, Mr Zhang Lei;
• The Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive of Pacific Century Group, Mr Richard Li;
• The Chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, Mr Allan Zeman;
• The Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Group, Mr Tony Fernandes;
• Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Moeda Seeds Bank Ms Taynaah Reis;
• The Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of FT Partners, Mr Steve McLaughlin;
• The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AMTD Group, Dr Calvin Choi; and
• The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tala, Ms Shivani Siroya.

Other leaders from AAX, Bank of China (Hong Kong), China Securities Credit Investment, Crypto.com, HashKey Group, Hong Kong Digital Asset Exchange, HSBC, NASDAQ, RD Wallet Technologies, SAS, Standard Chartered Bank, WeLab and more will also participate in the event.

The main physical conference will be held on November 3 and 4, featuring prominent industry and government leaders across three stages speaking on the potential of the latest fintech trends such as virtual and open banking, digital assets and currencies and payment technology. The conference will concurrently deep dive into research and applications of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and growth opportunities in key finance verticals. Global participants can attend a series of virtual sessions featuring global keynote speakers on November 5, and network with prospective investors, partners and technology providers through a dedicated matchmaking app powered by AI during the week.

Vision for Hong Kong's fintech future

The Head of Fintech at InvestHK, Mr King Leung, said, "Hong Kong's fintech success is in large part due to the breadth and depth of our financial services industry and our entrepreneurial culture. Together with supportive government and regulator policies, substantial pools of private investment and rising fintech adoption rates, our ecosystem has become a magnet for global start-up and scale-up companies. The next wave of opportunities will bring deeper collaboration in the Greater Bay Area financial services ecosystem."

The winners of the 2021 Global Fast Track programme led by InvestHK to promote fintech business adoption and scaling opportunities in Hong Kong will be announced during Hong Kong FinTech Week. In addition to the multi-track conference with prominent speakers, the event will also feature exhibitions, a deal floor, networking and satellite events, demo shows, over 50 workshops and more. Selected keynote sessions will also be livestreamed via the official Hong Kong FinTech Week LinkedIn and YouTube channels and Mainland-based tech news platform 36Kr.

For further information, please visit www.fintechweek.hk, or follow the official Hong Kong FinTech Week social media accounts:

Twitter: @HongKongFinTech/#HKFinTechWeek
LinkedIn: Hong Kong Fintech Week
YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/HongKongFinTechWeek

About Hong Kong FinTech Week

Hong Kong FinTech Week 2021 (November 1 to 5), organised by the FSTB and InvestHK and co-organised by the HKMA, the IA and the SFC, is Asia's global financial technology event for scaling new heights. It is expected to host over 250 speakers, 400 exhibitors, and 30 delegations from over 100 economies, and to have over 800 media personnel covering the event. The week-long event will feature multi-track conferences with prominent speakers, the Global Fast Track Programme, exhibitions, a deal floor, networking and satellite events and demo shows.

About InvestHK

InvestHK is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment. It has set up a dedicated fintech team in Hong Kong with correspondents located in Mainland China as well as in London and San Francisco. It aims at attracting the world's top innovative fintech enterprises, start-up entrepreneurs, investors and other stakeholders to set up business in Hong Kong or expand and scale their business via Hong Kong to Mainland China, Asia and beyond.

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