Despite uncertainties brought by geopolitics, institutional investors from Europe and the US remain important participants in Hong Kong’s initial public offering and secondary markets, the city’s finance chief said on Wednesday.
Paul Chan Mo-po said this while attending a dialogue session during the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026, also known as the Summer Davos, in Dalian, where he discussed the financial landscape with financial, political and business leaders from the Chinese mainland and overseas.
While consolidating its status as an international financial center, Hong Kong will actively promote fintech innovation, including tokenized assets, on the grounds of prudent regulation and safeguarding financial stability, Chan said. This includes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government taking the lead in issuing tokenized bonds to expand the investor base and promoting the development of green finance, and of gold and commodities trading, he added.
The financial secretary said he doesn’t consider the world to be forming a fragmented financial system. The trend of jurisdictions using their own currencies for trade and investment, to diversify foreign exchange risks and reduce costs, would continue, he added.
Chan highlighted that China accounts for an important share of global trade, resulting in increasingly frequent use of the renminbi in cross-boundary payments and settlements, and that the international monetary system is therefore steadily moving towards greater diversification.
He said that emerging payment systems and cross-boundary infrastructure should be seen as complementary options that increase choice, enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen financial security and resilience, rather than as zero-sum substitutes.
Chan attended a promotion conference, organized by the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, which focused on how to leverage the HKSAR’s financial, trade and innovation and technology strengths, as well as its unique advantage of being highly internationalized, to help Liaoning enterprises go global and expand their presence worldwide.
Member of the Party Leadership Group of the People’s Government of Liaoning province and Vice-Governor Bai Ying attended the event which drew more than 180 leaders and representatives from the local political, business, innovation and technology sectors and various institutions.
Speaking at the event, Chan said that in recent years, the HKSAR government has been vigorously developing innovation and technology, strengthening research and development as well as infrastructure, and promoting the integrated development of education, technology, talent and industries.
Chan urged enterprises in Liaoning and the northeastern region to make use of the SAR’s international financial and innovation and technology platforms, as well as its talent advantages and professional strengths, to explore overseas markets.
He also briefed business leaders on Hong Kong’s current situation and development strategies at a roundtable discussion.
At the event, representatives of a number of mainland and overseas enterprises shared testimony about leveraging the HKSAR’s support in going global.
Also on Wednesday, Chan called on CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee Secretary Xu Kunlin and Governor of Liaoning province Wang Xinwei.
At the meeting, the financial secretary said he looked forward to deepening and expanding exchanges and cooperation with Liaoning in economic and trade, finance, innovation and technology, shipping and logistics.
During the day, Chan attended a sharing session, organized by the Beijing Office of the HKSAR government and its Liaoning Liaison Unit, for Hong Kong businesspeople and enterprises in Liaoning and an exchange dinner organized by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Liaoning.
