Finance in Hong Kong is going through a momentous time.  Globally, quantitative easing has spurred a long bull run and growth in alternative investments; FinTech is simultaneously an enabler of opportunities, a source of competitive pressure, and an usher of new infrastructures; central bank digital currencies are already in sight; and ESG touts that it would put our money to doing good while doing well.

Hong Kong continues its increasing connectivity with the Greater Bay Area and the Mainland economy.  The launch of Wealth Management Connect again affirms our unique role within one country.  Indeed, national policies are often felt immediately in the financial markets here.

All the while, politics and geopolitical tussles caution about a more difficult new world order.  Pride in having “the best of both worlds” may increasingly see us “caught in the middle”.

How do these factors interplay and fit together — or threaten to derail each other?  Mr Laurence Li SC, Chairman of the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC), will share his reflections and how the FSDC contributes to a strategy for Hong Kong’s continual development as an international financial centre.