SFST showcases Hong Kong's strengths to European ministers of finance at high-level conference organised by Ministry of Finance of Slovenia (with photos)
******************************************************************************************
The high-level conference themed "Unlocking Growth: The Future of Slovenian and European Capital Markets" was hosted by the Ministry of Finance of Slovenia, and gathered ministers of finance from Croatia, Estonia and Slovenia, the Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union of the European Commission, as well as many more financial leaders and experts to share insights in driving a more promising future for European capital markets.
As one of the panellists at the panel discussion titled "Global Practices in Capital Markets", Mr Hui said that Hong Kong is strategically located as a premier gateway to connect traditional markets and emerging markets across the world, matching the needs of both sides. Aside from being one of the top three international financial centres in the world, Hong Kong enjoys the advantages brought by the real-world economy and keen investment demand in the Chinese Mainland, turning the city into an enticing pool for global investment.
He said, "Just for the first eight months this year, we had 59 companies newly listed in our stock market of 2025, raising a total of EUR14.6 billion through IPOs (initial public offerings) and marking an upsurge of 579 per cent when compared to the same period last year. If you look at the net fund inflows from the Chinese Mainland to Hong Kong, we are talking about a sum close to EUR105.4 billion for the first eight months of 2025. Its turnover is equivalent to 24.5 per cent of our market's overall turnover and surpassing the historical annual levels. In Hong Kong, we have introduced various mutual access programmes to provide diverse asset allocation and risk management options for investors from around the world including Europe in accessing the immense opportunities fuelled by economic growth on the Mainland.
"Amid this stellar performance, our Chief Executive just announced in his Policy Address that more targeted initiatives would be rolled out to strengthen our capital market and unlock new areas of economic growth. Measures include attracting more Mainland enterprises to set up corporate treasury centres and more banks to establish their regional headquarters in Hong Kong; expediting the building of an international gold-trading market covering storage, gold refining, trading and clearing; refining policy measures like further enhancing the preferential tax regimes for funds, single family offices and carried interest to keep up the growth momentum of the fund and family office sector; as well as fostering development of fintech, and green and sustainable finance."
Mr Hui had a meeting with the Minister of Finance of Croatia, Dr Marko Primorac, on the sidelines of the conference. He also had some deeper exchanges with other panellists at the networking lunch hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Slovenia, Mr Klemen Boštjančič.
In the afternoon, Mr Hui joined a business event organised by the Gospodarska zbornica Slovenije (GZS) which is the largest chamber of commerce and industry in Slovenia. The Slovenian-Chinese Business Council under the GZS aims to strengthen co-operation and business relations between the two countries and help Slovenian companies access the Mainland market.
Mr Hui told the audience that there is no better time than now to capitalise on the advantages of Hong Kong as the perfect platform to enter the Asian and Chinese Mainland markets. With a world-renowned and robust regulatory regime, Hong Kong's financial markets offer the most stable and predictable environment that is aligned with international practices for investors. The world-class professional services available in Hong Kong can support enterprises to go far.
The GZS will be leading a business delegation to visit Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland in early November this year, and so far over 50 companies have enrolled. Mr Hui said that it would definitely be a good occasion for Slovenian companies to see for themselves the vast opportunities in the region, and looked forward to future collaboration.
On September 24 (Ljubljana time), Mr Hui will proceed to Warsaw, Poland, to continue his visit after having meetings with Mr Boštjančič and Slovenia government officials.
Ends/Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:40
Issued at HKT 11:40
NNNN
Photo
