Regulators launch GenA.I. Sandbox++ to foster AI innovation across financial services
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the Insurance Authority (IA), and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA), in collaboration with the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited (Cyberport),announced today (March 5) the launch of the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenA.I.) Sandbox++ initiative.
Building on the success of the GenA.I. Sandbox initiative launched in 2024, regulators jointly expand the GenA.I. Sandbox++ to cover multiple financial sectors including banking, securities and capital markets, asset and wealth management, insurance, mandatory provident fund (MPF) and stored value facilities.
The initiative maintains its focus on three high-impact areas - risk management, anti-fraud, and customer experience - while continuing to advance "AI vs AI" strategies by leveraging AI to manage the risks associated with AI adoption. Participating financial institutions will receive targeted supervisory guidance, technical support, and complimentary access to graphics processing unit computing resources at Cyberport's AI Supercomputing Centre, enabling them to develop, pilot, and refine their use cases in a risk-controlled environment, thereby accelerating responsible AI adoption across Hong Kong's financial ecosystem.
By fostering collaboration among regulators, financial institutions, and technology firms, the initiative aims to spark new ideas and cultivate deeper cross-sector and cross-boundary partnerships. The initiative encourages the development of both sector-specific and cross-sector AI applications, including AI-driven insurance underwriting and claims processing, suitability requirements compliance assessment during investment products distribution, AI-powered tools for handling MPF and industry-wide use cases such as intelligent customer chatbots and advanced fraud detection systems.
The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue,stated, "The launch of the GenA.I. Sandbox++ marks a significant milestone under our 'Fintech 2030' strategy, reinforcing our commitment to building a vibrant ecosystem for responsible innovation. By bringing together regulators, financial institutions, and the tech community, we aim to unlock AI's full potential to drive growth, efficiency, and customer-centricity across financial services, further strengthening Hong Kong's competitiveness as a leading international financial centre."
The Chief Executive Officer of the SFC, Ms Julia Leung,said, "Expanding the GenA.I. Sandbox to broader capital market participants is a true testament to our collective resolve to drive responsible market innovation and a tech-enabled and future-proof financial market. We encourage licensed corporations to actively participate in this Sandbox to harness the boundless potential of AI in enhancing operational efficiency, bolstering resilience and unlocking growth."
The Chief Executive Officer of the IA, Mr Clement Cheung,said, "The GenA.I. Sandbox++ is a collective drive made by the financial regulators to nurture an environment conducive to AI innovation anchored upon accountability, inclusiveness and prudence. This thinking aligns with our AI Cohort Programme which has generated interest in knowledge sharing and use case deployment, while attracting an inflow of talents that should help to strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong as a regional AI hub."
The Managing Director of the MPFA, Mr Cheng Yan-chee,said, "To further support the healthy and innovative development of AI in the MPF industry, the MPFA strongly encourages the MPF trustees and intermediaries to actively explore the adoption of advanced financial technology solutions. By leveraging AI, MPF trustees and intermediaries can enhance operational efficiency and elevate the quality of services, thus bringing more value to benefit MPF scheme members."
Source: Design image
Statistics on vessels, port cargo and containers for the fourth quarter of 2025
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) today (March 5) released the statistics on vessels, port cargo and containers for the fourth quarter of 2025.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, total port cargo throughput increased by 1.1% to 44.8 million tonnes over a year earlier. Within this total, inward port cargo decreased by 6.0% to 25.6 million tonnes, while outward port cargo increased by 12.3% to 19.2 million tonnes.
For 2025 as a whole, total port cargo throughput decreased by 4.0% to 169.6 million tonnes over a year earlier. Within this total, inward port cargo decreased by 9.9% to 100.1 million tonnes, while outward port cargo increased by 6.0% to 69.6 million tonnes.
On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, total port cargo throughput increased by 9.9% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Within this total, inward port cargo and outward port cargo increased by 5.2% and 16.9% respectively compared with the preceding quarter. The seasonally adjusted series enables more meaningful shorter-term comparison to be made for discerning possible variations in trends.
Port cargo
In the fourth quarter of 2025, within port cargo, seaborne cargo decreased by 7.4% to 25.8 million tonnes over a year earlier, while river cargo increased by 15.4% to 19.1 million tonnes over a year earlier.
In the whole year of 2025, within port cargo, seaborne and river cargo decreased by 6.2% and 0.4% to 103.7 million tonnes and 66.0 million tonnes respectively over a year earlier.
Comparing the fourth quarter of 2025 with a year earlier, double-digit decreases were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo loaded in Chile (-33.2%), Korea (-27.6%), Indonesia (-27.2%), Malaysia (-20.0%), Taiwan (-14.9%) and Vietnam (-13.1%). For outward port cargo, double-digit increases were recorded in the tonnage of outward port cargo discharged in Chinese Mainland (+30.7%), Australia (+13.3%) and the Philippines (+10.9%). On the other hand, double-digit decreases were recorded in the tonnage of outward port cargo discharged in Thailand (-48.9%), the United States of America (-46.4%), Vietnam (-27.4%), Korea (-24.3%), Japan (-22.0%) and Malaysia (-16.8%).
Comparing the whole year of 2025 with a year earlier, double-digit decreases were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo loaded in Korea (-26.1%), Indonesia (-24.7%), Vietnam (-23.3%), Malaysia (-20.6%), Chile (-16.2%), Taiwan (-13.4%) and Thailand (-12.0%). For outward port cargo, double-digit increases were recorded in the tonnage of outward port cargo discharged in Australia (+29.9%) and Chinese Mainland (+16.8%). On the other hand, double-digit decreases were recorded in the tonnage of outward port cargo discharged in the United States of America (-42.6%), Thailand (-36.7%), Vietnam (-25.2%), Japan (-20.7%) and the Philippines (-18.4%).
Comparing the fourth quarter of 2025 with a year earlier, double-digit changes were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo of "metalliferous ores and metal scrap" (+20.2%), "stone, sand and gravel" (-17.4%) and "artificial resins and plastic materials" (-20.6%). As for outward port cargo, triple-digit or double-digit changes were recorded in the tonnage of "stone, sand and gravel" (+127.3%), "artificial resins and plastic materials" (-18.1%) and "pulp and waste paper" (-23.3%).
Comparing the whole year of 2025 with a year earlier, double-digit changes were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo of "metalliferous ores and metal scrap" (+21.8%), "coal, coke and briquettes" (-18.0%), "artificial resins and plastic materials" (-18.2%) and "stone, sand and gravel" (-28.6%). As for outward port cargo, double-digit changes were recorded in the tonnage of "stone, sand and gravel" (+85.8%), "metalliferous ores and metal scrap" (+10.6%), "pulp and waste paper" (-17.6%) and "artificial resins and plastic materials" (-19.0%).
Containers
In the fourth quarter of 2025, the port of Hong Kong handled 3.32 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, representing a decrease of 5.6% over a year earlier. Within this total, laden and empty containers decreased by 6.2% and 3.3% to 2.62 million TEUs and 0.70 million TEUs respectively. Among laden containers, inward and outward containers decreased by 6.3% and 6.0% to 1.39 million TEUs and 1.23 million TEUs respectively.
For 2025 as a whole, the port of Hong Kong handled 12.99 million TEUs of containers, representing a decrease of 5.1% over a year earlier. Within this total, laden and empty containers decreased by 6.0% and 1.4% to 10.28 million TEUs and 2.72 million TEUs respectively. Among laden containers, inward and outward containers decreased by 6.6% and 5.3% to 5.46 million TEUs and 4.81 million TEUs respectively.
On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, laden container throughput increased by 5.0% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Within this total, inward and outward laden containers increased by 5.8% and 4.0% respectively.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, seaborne laden containers decreased by 9.9% to 1.74 million TEUs over a year earlier, while river laden containers increased by 2.1% to 0.88 million TEUs.
In the whole year of 2025, seaborne and river laden containers decreased by 6.5% and 4.9% to 7.14 million TEUs and 3.14 million TEUs respectively over a year earlier.
Vessel arrivals
Comparing the fourth quarter of 2025 with a year earlier, the number of ocean vessel arrivals increased by 2.1% to 4 870, while the total capacity decreased by 2.4% to 74.6 million net tons. Meanwhile, the number of river vessel arrivals decreased by 0.2% to 20 643, while the total capacity increased by 9.3% to 25.6 million net tons.
Comparing the whole year of 2025 with a year earlier, the number of ocean vessel arrivals increased by 3.7% to 19 069, with the total capacity remained virtually unchanged, at 292.0 million net tons. Meanwhile, the number of river vessel arrivals decreased by 3.2% to 79 597, while the total capacity increased by 12.6% to 95.5 million net tons.
Further information
Port cargo and laden container statistics are compiled from a sample of consignments listed in the cargo manifests supplied by shipping companies and agents to the C&SD. Vessel statistics are compiled by the Marine Department primarily from general declarations submitted by ship masters and authorised shipping agents. Pleasure vessels and fishing vessels plying exclusively within the river trade limits are excluded.
Table 1 presents the detailed port cargo statistics.
Table 2 and Table 3 respectively present the inward and outward port cargo statistics by main countries/territories of loading and discharge.
Table 4 and Table 5 respectively present the inward and outward port cargo statistics by principal commodities.
Table 6 presents the detailed container statistics.
Table 7 presents the statistics on vessel arrivals in Hong Kong.
More detailed statistics on port cargo, containers and vessels are published in the report "Hong Kong Shipping Statistics, Fourth Quarter 2025". Users can browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1020008&scode=230).
For enquiries about port cargo and container statistics, please contact the Electronic Trading Services and Cargo Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 2126 or email: shipping@censtatd.gov.hk). For enquiries about vessel statistics, readers may contact the Statistics Section under the Planning, Development and Port Security Branch of the Marine Department (Tel: 2852 3662 or email: st-sec@mardep.gov.hk).
Source: AI-found images
