According to ME News, the 19th Asian Financial Forum opened in Hong Kong on January 26 (UTC+8). The forum, themed "Working Together Amidst Change, Achieving Win-Win Results in the New Era," attracted approximately 3,600 political, business, and financial leaders from over 60 countries and regions. The forum covered a range of topics including global economic outlook, investment, asset and wealth management, trade finance, and gold trading, highlighting Hong Kong's role as a platform for international financial connectivity.
In his opening remarks, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee stated that Hong Kong will continue to deepen its financial market connectivity with the Mainland, accelerate the development of new growth areas, including building an international gold trading market and a commodity trading ecosystem, and advancing the construction of a central gold clearing system. At the same time, the Hong Kong SAR government will optimize the listing and product issuance approval system, promote the digitalization of securities, and shorten the settlement cycle of the stock market.
During the forum, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau signed a cooperation agreement with the Shanghai Gold Exchange to promote the coordinated development of the gold markets in Hong Kong and the mainland. Zou Lan, Vice Governor of the People's Bank of China, stated that the interconnectivity between the mainland and Hong Kong financial markets continues to deepen, with Bond Connect and Stock Connect operating smoothly. Hong Kong plays a vital role in serving global investors' participation in the RMB and mainland capital markets. (Source: ME)
