#HKFintech2019 Vol.2 | Calvin Choi, James Lau and Charles Ng jointly announced the opening of Hong Kong Fintech Week, a great event for Hong Kong financial regulators and technology innovation institutions

Hong Kong Fintech Week

Organized by InvestHK, a HKSAR government department, supported by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the Insurance Authority (IA) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX), and with AMTD Group as the sole strategic partner, Hong Kong Fintech Week 2019 took place from November 4th to 8th in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. This is the second year in a row that AMTD Group serves as a sole strategic partner for Hong Kong Fintech Week.

The opening ceremony of “2019 Hong Kong FinTech Week” was held in HKEX Trading Hall. Calvin Choi, Chairman and CEO of AMTD Group, James Lau, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, and Charles Ng, Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion of InvestHK, officiated the ceremony and made a speech. Other attendees included: Lukas Petrikas, Managing Director & Co-Head of Innovation Lab of HKEX; Nelson Chow, Chief Fintech Officer of the HKMA; Clara Chiu, Director of Licensing and the Head of Fintech unit of the SFC; Raymond Tam, Executive Director, Policy and Development of Hong Kong Insurance Authority; Peter Yan, CEO of the Hong Kong Cyberport; Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP; Hugh Chow, CEO of ASTRI. It is an annual event that gathers all the heads of financial regulators and technology innovation institutions in Hong Kong, demonstrating Fintech regulatory and technology innovation development.

Calvin Choi, Chairman and CEO of AMTD Group, said it is AMTD’s great honors to be the sole strategic partner of Hong Kong Fintech Week for the second consecutive year, to help the establishment of HK Fintech ecosystem, as well as the promotion and development of Fintech innovation. He pointed out that the establishment of Fintech ecosystem will help Hong Kong play the role as the international financial center. As a leading company in Hong Kong Fintech sector, AMTD will keep contributing to the establishment and development of Fintech ecosystem, as well as the revolution and promotion of technology innovation, making Hong Kong the international center for technology innovation.

Calvin Choi introduced that AMTD has built a multi-field, multi-dimensional, cross-industry and cross-regional ecosystem "AMTD SpiderNet". It connects a wide range of partners from financial or non-financial sectors, as well as traditional or innovative technology industries, helping strengthen the technology innovation-centric trend. AMTD co-established the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN) with the World Bank International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the ASEAN Bankers Association, to promote the research, development, connection and application in technology innovation of small and medium-sized banks and financial institutions from Southeast Asia. As the sponsor, AMTD led the establishment of the “Regional Bank+ Strategic Cooperation Alliance” with several HK-listed regional banks during the 2018 Hong Kong Fintech Week. It aimed to help regional banks embrace technology innovation, boost Fintech innovation, and promote global and sustainable development. Besides, to support cultivation of innovative talents and development of technology, AMTD jointly launched Hong Kong’s first university-industry collaborated Fintech center “AMTD FinTech Centre of PolyU Faculty of Business” with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University; jointly established “University of Waterloo-AMTD Innovation Hub” in Central, Hong Kong, and launched “AMTD UWaterloo Global Talent Programme”, with University of Waterloo Canada. Technology and innovation are the internal drivers of AMTD’s development, as well as the starting point and faith of AMTD’s continuous efforts. AMTD will keep advancing the exchange and connection of Fintech between Hong Kong and the global markets.

James Lau, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, pointed out that according to official statistics, Hong Kong now has over 600 Fintech companies, many of which are trying to cut a figure. The Hong Kong government also needs those innovative companies to help overcome some current challenges. James Lau gave an example: the development of the GBA has enabled capital to flow between Hong Kong and other GBA cities, and the tracking of capital flows became a challenge to the local governments. He hoped that the startups could provide innovative solutions for the GBA financial development.

Charles Ng, Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion of InvestHK, said that Hong Kong Fintech Week has become the most important annual event in HK financial market, with numbers of important news, including the establishments of partnership, announced in the one-week event. He wished all the participants could have a harvest, and hoped the event would bring values to them in the following one year.