HONG KONG, Jan 6, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - The 13th Asian
Financial Forum (AFF) will be held on 13 and 14 January (Monday and
Tuesday) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).
Under the theme "Redefining Growth: Innovation, Breakthrough,
Inclusiveness", the event will draw in more than 100 influential
global financial experts, policymakers, business leaders,
economists and investors who will examine topical issues in the
global economy and explore new opportunities. Heavyweight speakers
joining the two keynote luncheon sessions are Janet Yellen, former
Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and
Prof Abhijit Banerjee, joint winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize for
Economics. Four Panel Discussion sessions will be held to discuss
broad topics ranging from supply-chain finance solutions and the
unprecedented growth of asset and wealth management in Asia, to
insurance and risk management as well as environmental, social and
governance (ESG) issues. The inaugural FintechHK Startup Salon will
showcase fintech start-ups from Hong Kong and beyond, complemented
by the returning Fintech Showcase and InnoTalks series.
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Introducing event highlights
from the 13th Asian Financial Forum at a press conference today are
(from left): Amy Lo, Chairman, Executive Committee, Private Wealth
Management Association Head and Chief Executive UBS Hong Kong
Branch; Patrick Lau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director; Mary Huen,
Chairperson, Asian Financial Forum 2020 Steering Committee; and
Sammie Leung, Risk Assurance Partner, PwC. |
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The 13th Asian Financial
Forum (AFF) will be held on 13 and 14 January (Monday and Tuesday)
at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), with the
theme "Redefining Growth: Innovation, Breakthrough, Inclusiveness".
The picture shows one of the sessions at the 2019
event. |
Mary Huen, Chairperson, Asian Financial Forum 2020 Steering
Committee and Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Hong
Kong, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, said: "The Asian
Financial Forum is the annual financial event that kickstarts
discussion in the new year. Introducing brand-new innovative
concepts, the theme for this year's AFF is 'Redefining Growth:
Innovation, Breakthrough, Inclusiveness', exploring new ideas that
will allow business leaders to keep pace with the ever-changing
market and seek the best solutions to overcome the challenges
presented by the uncertain global and local economic landscapes.
Hong Kong is going through challenging times and the risk of an
economic downturn is high, but with its solid foundation and
diversified advantages, we believe the city can continue to provide
a promising business environment for local and international
corporations and financial institutions."
Redefining Growth: Innovation, Breakthrough, Inclusiveness -
plenary session
Technological breakthroughs have fostered significant progress in
global growth. Recognising the importance of financial inclusion,
policymakers are seeking innovative solutions to minimise the cost
of implementing a financial inclusion pilot scheme. The AFF opens
with a plenary session titled "Redefining Growth: Innovation,
Breakthrough, Inclusiveness" to discuss the current opportunities
and challenges. The heavyweight overseas policymakers sharing their
insights on promoting financial inclusion in the world include
Michael D'Arcy, Minister of State at the Department of Finance,
with special responsibility for Financial Services and Insurance,
Ireland; Jin Liqun, President and Chairman, Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank; Uttama Savanayana, Minister of Finance, Thailand;
and Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Hungary.
The financial market outlook is currently pessimistic, with a
potential global economic recession in the short term along with a
range of uncertainties such as unsustainable corporate debt,
volatile capital flows and disrupted supply chains. The current low
interest-rate policy implemented by most central banks also gives
policymakers comparatively little room to revitalise the economy.
Following the plenary session, the Policy Dialogue "Global Outlook
and Opportunities for 2020", will see international financial
experts share their strategies for tackling the global economic
downturn. The distinguished panel of speakers includes Burkhard
Balz, Member of the Executive Board, Deutsche Bundesbank; Martin
Raiser, Country Director for China and Mongolia, and Director for
Korea, World Bank Group; and Sergey Shvetsov, First Deputy Governor
of the Bank of Russia.
Panel discussions feature broad spectrum of financial sectors
The four AFF panel discussion sessions, including "Evolution of
Global Trade and Supply Chain Finance", will feature banking and
financial-service sector leaders who highlight some of the emerging
trends in supply-chain finance as well as the role of different
stakeholders in trade facilitation against the backdrop of the
Sino-US trade dispute, Brexit and tensions in the Middle East.
Rapid wealth accumulation and the continued opening up of Mainland
China is fuelling unprecedented growth in the asset- and
wealth-management industries in Asia. The panel discussion on
"Asset and Wealth Management in Asia: New Frontiers, Challenges and
Opportunities" will discuss management models in the Asian market
and how industry players can better position themselves to embrace
and capitalise on these opportunities. Speakers at the two sessions
include Howard Lee, Deputy Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary
Authority; Julia Leung, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and
Executive Director, Intermediaries, Securities and Futures
Commission; Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive, Standard Chartered
PLC; William Fung, Group Chairman, Li & Fung Limited; Salman
Fazlur Rahman, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime
Minister of Bangladesh and Chairman, IFIC Bank Limited; Geraldine
Buckingham, Chair of Asia Pacific, BlackRock; Suyi Kim, Senior
Managing Director, Head of Asia Pacific, Canada Pension Plan
Investment Board (CPPIB); and Amy Lo, Chairman, Executive
Committee, Private Wealth Management Association, Head and Chief
Executive, UBS Hong Kong Branch and Co-Head Wealth Management Asia
Pacific, UBS Global Wealth Management.
The remaining two panel discussions "Environmental, Social and
Governance (ESG)" and "Insurance and Inclusive Growth in Asia"
feature Ronnie Chan, Chairman, Hang Lung Properties Limited;
Yasuyuki Kawasaki, Deputy Chairman of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial
Group; Winnie Wong, Board Member, Financial Services Development
Council; Andrew Yan, Founding Managing Partner, SAIF Partners;
Franz Hahn, CEO, Peak Reinsurance Ltd; Gordon Watson, Chief
Executive Officer, AXA Asia; and Clarence Wong, Chief Economist
Asia, Swiss Re.
Keynote speakers share on monetary policy and financial
inclusion
The speaker at the keynote luncheon on the first day of AFF is Ms
Yellen. From 2014 to 2018, under the Obama and Trump
administrations, she served as Chair of the Federal Reserve Board,
making history as the first woman to be appointed to that position.
In this session, she will share her perspectives on the
independence of central banks and the implementation of monetary
policy, in addition to hot topics such as her view on the global
economy and the impact of the Sino-US trade conflict. She will also
take questions from the audience on related issues.
At the keynote luncheon on the second day of the forum, Mr Banerjee
will address the subject of financial inclusion and share his
thoughts on the economic policies and financial inclusion progress
in developing countries, and India in particular.
Novel ideas from FintechHK Start-up Salon
Dr Patrick Lau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, said: "The HKTDC
has long promoted Hong Kong's strengths as an international
financial centre and platform, attracting industries from around
the world to look for investment opportunities, potential investors
and financial partners. As the best platform for creating business
connections and understanding market dynamics, AFF 2020 continues
to connect different stakeholders from finance-related industries
around the world and help them seek out new business
opportunities."
Dr Lau added that innovation and technology were having a profound
impact on financial development. "We have seen technology companies
launching banking businesses, while banks have also been
introducing innovative technologies to stay competitive. In order
to help participants capture fintech opportunities ahead of their
competitors, we have stepped up our game in covering areas relating
to innovation and technology, inviting experts to examine hot
issues related to fintech and the broader business sector."
Launched last year, the Fintech Showcase returns in 2020, together
with the inaugural FintechHK Startup Salon, to present a plethora
of fintech innovations and next-generation business ideas from some
90 fintech start-ups as well as leading financial institutions and
technology firms from Hong Kong and beyond, including Assured Asset
Management, BOCHK, CICC, HKT, NEC, Ping An OneConnect Bank and
Standard Chartered Bank.
InnoTalks explores fintech
The InnoTalks series returns in 2020 with various workshops on the
second day of the forum, exploring technological issues relevant to
the financial sector, including developments in the Guangdong-Hong
Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, financial innovation, investment
technology and cyber security. Renowned speakers - including Simon
Loong, Founder and CEO, WeLab, Terence Yeung, Chief Fintech
Officer, MoneySQ.com, and Jonathan Larsen, Chief Innovation
Officer, Ping An Group - will help participants gain a better grasp
of financial innovations that can boost competitiveness in the
current economic landscape.
Sponsored again by the Financial Services Development Council, Hong
Kong (FSDC), the Breakfast Panel will be moderated by Winnie Wong,
Board Member of the FSDC, on the theme "Hong Kong's Changing Role
as an Investment Gateway: New Trend, New Generation and New
Strategy". The panellists include Andrew Weir, Regional Senior
Partner, KPMG Hong Kong, and Jim Lai, Vice President, Tencent
Holdings Limited and Chairman of Fusion Bank Limited. Together they
will explore the opportunities and risks for Hong Kong against the
backdrop of recent economic and geopolitical developments, looking
at what the city should do to safeguard its position as a leading
international financial centre.
The HKTDC, together with the International Finance Corporation
(IFC) and Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS), will
co-organise workshops to examine the circular economy and marine
plastics as well as profit with purpose. Green finance has been
growing strongly across the globe, with many innovative green
financial products appearing on the market. The HKTDC and the Hong
Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA) will co-organise a session
titled "2020 Green and Sustainable Finance Opportunities" to
examine the opportunities offered by green finance in the coming
year and how the planning of both authorities and the financial
sector can align with sustainable development of the market.
Meanwhile, many family businesses are coming to a point where
succession needs to be considered. A session titled "The Road to
Succession: How to Fully Achieve the Sustainable Development of
Family Corporations?" will discuss how family businesses can
achieve better standards related to environment, society and
governance (ESG) and ways in which they can build a more efficient
mechanism for succession.
AFF Deal Flow Matchmaking helps businesses explore cooperation
Over the years, the AFF has brought together elites from the
world's finance and business sectors to share insights on economic
prospects and investment opportunities, and served as a platform
where investors and project owners can explore cooperation. This
year's forum will once again join hands with the Hong Kong Venture
Capital and Private Equity Association to organise the AFF Deal
Flow Matchmaking session, providing deal-sourcing and matchmaking
meetings for project owners and investors. It is expected that 200
investors and 500 investment projects will join one-on-one
meetings. Industries covered include manufacturing, green
technology, the Internet of Things (IoT), fintech and healthtech.
Around 700 one-to-one meetings are expected to be arranged.
The InnoVenture Salon is back for the third time on an expanded
scale and with enriched content, making it the ideal platform to
connect start-ups with potential investors and partners. Start-ups
will showcase their products and ideas, covering such areas as
electronic technologies, healthtech, artificial intelligence (AI)
and smart-city development at the Startup Zone, while pitching,
business matching as well as clinics with industry practitioners
and investment experts will also be provided. To capture
opportunities brought about by technological advancements, the
Fireside Chat session will feature Henri Arslanian, Chairman of the
FinTech Association of Hong Kong, and Richard Chow, Executive
Director, UBS AG and Head of Digital at UBS Wealth Management,
together with industry pioneers from around the globe, to share
insights on blockchain, artificial intelligence, sustainable
inclusiveness, global investment outlook, wealthtech and
healthtech.
To give participants a better understanding of Hong Kong's
regulatory system and business environment, a special session is
being arranged at AFF 2020 for overseas corporations that are
interested in setting up offices and investing in the city.
Regulators and related agencies such as the Hong Kong Monetary
Authority (HKMA), Securities and Futures Commission (SFC),
Insurance Authority, HKEX and InvestHK will meet with overseas
start-ups and family offices to ready them for Asian markets. The
Global Investment Zone is another highlight, gathering investment
agencies from Bangladesh, Canada, Japan, Germany, Ireland, Spain,
the US and more to present investment opportunities in different
sectors.
Websites
- Asian Financial Forum:
http://www.hktdc.com/ncs/aff2020/en/main/index.html
- AFF programme:
http://www.hktdc.com/ncs/aff2020/en/s/programme.html
- AFF speakers:
http://www.hktdc.com/ncs/aff2020/en/s/speakers.html
- Photo download: https://bit.ly/2QICEPG
Media interviews
Members of the media interested in interviewing speakers at the
Asian Financial Forum can fill out the form
(https://bit.ly/33LIXqk) and email it to christine.kam@hktdc.org or
clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.org by 10 January 2020.
About HKTDC
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body
established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's
trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China,
the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and
business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions,
conferences and business missions to create business opportunities
for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also
provides up-to-date market insights and product information via
trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For
more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on
Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn.
Source: HKTDC
Contact:
Christine Kam, Tel: +852 2584 4514, Email: christine.kam@hktdc.org
Sam Ho, Tel: +852 2584 4569, Email: sam.sy.ho@hktdc.org
Clayton Lauw, Tel: +852 2584 4116, Email: clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.org
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