Speech by FS at Financial Services Development Council Annual Cocktail Reception 2026 (English only)(with photos)
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Benjamin (Chairman of the FSDC, Mr Benjamin Hung), FSDC Board Members, King (Executive Director of the FSDC, Dr King Au), Rocky (Executive Director-designate of the FSDC, Dr Rocky Tung), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. It is a pleasure to join you tonight at the Financial Services Development Council's annual cocktail reception. This gathering is a welcome opportunity to reconnect with friends and partners across our financial community - and to look ahead as we begin a new year.
2025 was a good year for Hong Kong's financial services sector. We saw solid momentum across multiple segments and a renewed sense of confidence, but we should be clear-eyed. In a geopolitically fast-moving and complex world, compounded by technology disruptions, we must never stop moving. The question is how to position Hong Kong for the next phase of high quality and resilient growth.
Two weeks ago, I was in Davos. The discussions among world leaders on the global arena were highly relevant to Hong Kong's role as an international financial centre.
First, asset reallocation. In a world marked by heightened geopolitical tensions, many global investors are reassessing exposures, seeking greater diversification and looking to allocate more to markets where policy clarity, connectivity and compelling opportunities converge.
Second, technological transformation is creating new investment opportunities. The global community expressed strong and sustained interest in AI, quantum computing, robotics, biotech and new energy. With our country advancing rapidly in these areas, new avenues are opening up for long term capital deployment.
Against this backdrop, Hong Kong's enduring value proposition is clear. We are not only an international financial centre connecting China and the world; we are also an emerging international innovation and technology hub that attracts global talent and capital. One focus of our next phase of development will be very much on this dual role, where we harness our capital markets to power technological innovation and drive the real economy.
In this light, the work of the FSDC continues to be both important and impactful. The Council continues to look ahead to the frontiers of financial services, and I am delighted that it has been putting forward concrete recommendations in several high potential areas.
One example is developing our bond market, and that includes deepening the ecosystem and broadening funding channels to meet growing investor interest in high quality fixed income and longer-tenor instruments. Another is impact investing, where Hong Kong can leverage our position as a trusted international platform, to mobilise capital to support low carbon transition, inclusive growth and philanthropy.
I would like to thank the FSDC for its continued contributions through policy research, market engagement and international outreach. Your work helps sharpen our thinking on how we can reinforce Hong Kong's attractiveness as a preferred market to invest and grow.
Finally, on a personal note, may I extend my warmest wishes to Dr King Au, Executive Director of the FSDC, on his retirement from the Council. King, we are grateful for your dedicated and outstanding service for the past six years.
Ladies and gentlemen, in about two weeks, we will be celebrating the Year of the Horse, an emblem of vitality, agility and perseverance, which are the very qualities that sustain Hong Kong's success on the global stage. Looking ahead, despite complex headwinds, I remain confident that Hong Kong will continue to thrive as an international financial centre of choice.
For now, I hope you will enjoy the evening and the company, over a drink or two. Thank you very much.
Ends/Monday, February 2, 2026
Issued at HKT 20:58
Issued at HKT 20:58
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