New York ETO Showcases Hong Kong's Business and Financial Strengths at Miami Forum

New York ETO showcases Hong Kong's business and financial strengths at Miami forum

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (New York ETO) hosted a business forum titled "Building Bridges Between Hong Kong and Miami - Business, Finance and More" in Miami, Florida, on April 16 (Miami time), bringing together close to 70 participants from the business and investment communities to explore financial opportunities in Hong Kong.

Organised in partnership with the Financial & International Business Association, Invest Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the forum underscored the New York ETO's renewed engagement with the southeastern United States and its commitment to strengthening ties with Miami and Florida.

In her welcoming remarks, the Director of the New York ETO, Ms Maisie Ho, highlighted the shared strengths of Miami and Hong Kong as dynamic, outward-looking gateway cities. "Hong Kong is Asia's world city, while Miami is the Gateway of the Americas," she said. "Both cities thrive as super connectors, linking capital, talent and ideas across borders, and enabling enterprises to scale from regional players to global leaders."

Ms Ho highlighted Hong Kong's strong economic momentum, noting that the city ranked first globally in initial public offering fundraising and its status as home to over 3 380 single-family offices. She also outlined new growth opportunities under the "AI+" and "Finance+" policy frameworks announced in the latest Budget, including initiatives in AI integration, support for technology enterprises, green finance and Renminbi internationalisation.

The forum's panel discussion featured the Executive Director of the Financial Services Development Council, Dr Rocky Tung, who shared insights on Hong Kong's latest financial developments and its role as a premier international financial platform for Miami-based companies, investors, and family offices. Other panelists included the Chief Representative of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in New York, Mr Anson Law, and the Founder and Principal of Kaptzan Legal Solutions, Ms Robin Kaptzan. The session was moderated by the Head of Business and Talent Attraction/Investment Promotion of Invest Hong Kong New York Office, Ms Yi Xie.

During the forum, Ms Ho and Dr Tung met with the President and CEO of the Financial & International Business Association, Mr David Schwartz, and treasurer, Mr Wayne Shah, to discuss opportunities to advance financial connectivity of the two ecosystems through knowledge exchange and institutional partnership. Earlier in the day, Ms Ho also participated in the 2026 Seatrade Cruise Global with the Tourism Commission and the Hong Kong Tourism Board to promote Hong Kong as a premier cruise tourism destination for high-value-added travellers who treasure diverse experiences. Seatrade Cruise Global is the leading annual event for the international cruise industry, bringing together cruise lines, destination ports, suppliers and travel professionals.

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York hosted a business forum in Miami, Florida on April 16 (Miami time), bringing together close to 70 participants from the business and investment communities to explore financial opportunities in Hong Kong. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (New York ETO) participated in the 2026 Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, Florida on April 16 (Miami time) with the Tourism Commission and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to promote Hong Kong as a premier cruise tourism destination for high-value added travellers who treasure diverse experience. Photo shows the Director of the New York ETO, Ms Maisie Ho (second right), with the Assistant Commissioner for Tourism of the Tourism Commission, Ms Agnes Ho (second left), the Director, Cruise of the HKTB, Ms Patricia Yuen (first right); and the Deputy Director of the New York ETO, Ms Angela Jong (first left). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (New York ETO) hosted a business forum in Miami, Florida on April 16 (Miami time), bringing together close to 70 participants from the business and investment communities to explore financial opportunities in Hong Kong. Photo shows the featured panel discussion at the forum with: the Chief Representative of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in New York, Mr Anson Law (first right); the Founder and Principal of Kaptzan Legal Solutions, Ms Robin Kaptzan (second right); and the Executive Director of the Financial Services Development Council, Dr Rocky Tung (second left). The session was moderated by the Head of Business and Talent Attraction/Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong in New York, Ms Yi Xie (first left). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (New York ETO) hosted a business forum in Miami, Florida on April 16 (Miami time), bringing together close to 70 participants from the business and investment communities to explore financial opportunities in Hong Kong. During the forum, the Director of New York ETO, Ms Maisie Ho (second right) and the Executive Director of the Financial Services Development Council, Dr Rocky Tung (first left) met with the President and CEO of the Financial & International Business Association, Mr David Schwartz (second left), and treasurer, Mr Wayne Shah (first right), to discuss opportunities to advance financial connectivity of the two ecosystems through knowledge exchange and institutional partnership. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (New York ETO) hosted a business forum in Miami, Florida on April 16 (Miami time), bringing together close to 70 participants from the business and investment communities to explore financial opportunities in Hong Kong. Photo shows the Director of the New York ETO, Ms Maisie Ho delivering her welcoming remarks, highlighting Hong Kong's strong economic momentum and new growth opportunities under the "AI+" and "Finance+" policy frameworks. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (New York ETO) hosted a business forum in Miami, Florida on April 16 (Miami time), bringing together close to 70 participants from the business and investment communities to explore financial opportunities in Hong Kong. Photo shows (from left) the Executive Director of the Financial Services Development Council, Dr Rocky Tung; the Deputy Director of the New York ETO, Ms Angela Jong; the Head of Business and Talent Attraction/Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong in New York, Ms Yi Xie; the Director of the New York ETO, Ms Maisie Ho; the President and CEO of the Financial & International Business Association (FIBA), Mr David Schwartz; the Founder and Principal of Kaptzan Legal Solutions, Ms Robin Kaptzan; the Treasurer of FIBA, Mr Wayne Shah; and the Chief Representative of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in New York, Mr Anson Law. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by FS at HKICPA x IFAC PAIB Conference

Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the HKICPA x IFAC PAIB (Professional Accountants in Business) Conference today (April 18):

Stephen (President of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA), Mr Stephen Law), Josephine (Chair of Professional Accountants in Business Advisory Group, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Mrs Josephine Okui Ossiya), Kelvin (Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, Dr Kelvin Wong), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is a great pleasure to join you today at the Professional Accountants in Business Conference, co-organised by the HKICPA and the IFAC. For those who have travelled from afar, a very warm welcome.

The theme of today's conference - PAIBs at the helm of change - is timely and compelling. We are living through an era of rapid, and often disruptive, transformation. Powerful forces are reshaping the global economy and redefining how businesses compete, invest and manage risk.

Global shifts and forces of change

First, geopolitics. The logic of globalisation that prevailed for decades is being rewritten. As geoeconomic fragmentation intensifies, trade and investment patterns are shifting, and supply chains are being reconfigured in response to tariffs, trade barriers, and security concerns.

At the same time, the Global South is playing a more prominent role in global growth. With youthful demographics, expanding middle classes, and rising consumption, it will be an increasingly important source of demand and new markets.

Second, technological disruption. AI is reshaping every sector and redefining competitiveness. Agentic AI - together with advances in cloud computing and robotics, is moving from tools that assist people to systems that can plan, decide and execute. This will reshape business models and productivity. For businesses, AI competence and literacy are now essential.

Third, green transition. Despite policy twists and turns in individual countries, decarbonisation and green transition remain mainstream global priorities. Recent conflicts in the Middle East have also strengthened the case for energy diversification. Meeting climate and energy-security goals will require trillions of dollars of investment, and this will create new value chains across renewable energy, electric vehicles, energy storage and sustainable construction.

Hong Kong: resilience and opportunity

Ladies and gentlemen, these forces are changing the global business landscape. For Hong Kong, they also create new space to grow, because our strengths match what the world increasingly needs.

The unique advantages under "one country, two systems" remain our enduring strength. In an increasingly fragile and volatile world, Hong Kong offers stable, predictable policies - a safe harbour and a destination for growth. The strength of our stock market and IPO activity, the growth in bank deposits, and the continued expansion of our asset and wealth management sector in the past couple of years all reflect that confidence.

Meanwhile, our opportunities will also continue to expand alongside the development of our country, China, under the 15th Five-Year Plan. The Outline of the Plan places a strong emphasis on building a modernised industrial system and advancing technological self-reliance. In the coming few years, we can expect remarkable progress and breakthroughs in areas such as AI, semiconductors, quantum computing and aerospace.

China is also deepening high-level two-way opening-up under the dual circulation strategy. It is building a larger consumption market. This will support greater flows of goods, services, capital and talent between the Mainland and the world.

Meanwhile, green transition will remain a defining theme of China's development.

We are determined to seize the opportunities ahead. The HKSAR Government is preparing its first Five-Year Plan, which will set out a holistic vision and concrete action plan to strengthen Hong Kong's development over the next five years and more. Meanwhile, in this year's Budget, I have set out AI+ and Finance+ as two key strategies for our next stage of economic development.

AI+

On AI+, we are committed to applying artificial intelligence to empower and transform key sectors of our economy: to create value, to boost productivity and competitiveness, and to deliver better products and services for the people. To steer this effort, I announced in the Budget that we will set up the Committee on AI+ and Industry Development Strategy, which I chair. As a start, we will focus on life and health technology and embodied AI, where Hong Kong has strong advantages in research capabilities and real-world application environment.

Talent is the cornerstone of this endeavour. We have therefore launched the AI Training for All initiative to promote broad-based understanding and adoption of AI across society - so that professionals, including accountants, students and the wider community are ready to seize the opportunities of the AI age.

Finance+

On Finance+, our aim is to deepen and broaden Hong Kong's financial markets and services - not only in equities, green finance, and asset and wealth management, but also in areas such as fixed income and currencies market, for which we launched a roadmap last year.

Above all, our goal is to strengthen Hong Kong's financial ecosystem - broader, deeper, and more sophisticated - to better serve the real economy, especially innovation and technology companies at different stages of development. We have long been a premier fund-raising destination for high-quality companies in the region. With more Mainland companies pursuing global expansion through Hong Kong, we are enhancing our listing regime, such as reviewing the weighted voting rights structure, with a view to attracting more Mainland and international companies to list, and raise capital here. CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Limited), the world's largest IPO last year, is a good example.

As Asia's No. 1 green and sustainable finance hub, Hong Kong can do more to channel capital to credible green and transition projects, and help bridge the significant global financing gap.

In driving the Finance+ strategy, demand for a new generation of professional services will also accelerate, including those in valuation and risk assessment of emerging assets - such as intellectual property and data assets - as well as related accounting, auditing and assurance services.

To deliver these strategies, we must continue to attract enterprises and nurture the best talent. In this regard, Hong Kong has introduced a re-domiciliation regime to make it easier for them to establish their corporate home in Hong Kong, while maintaining legal continuity and business operations. Several high-profile insurance companies have already made the move, signalling a strong vote of confidence in Hong Kong's business and regulatory environment.

We are determined to attract the best tech companies to enrich our tech ecosystem here. Among our efforts, we have set up the Hong Kong Investment Corporation, HKIC, with $62 billion as seed capital. The HKIC co-invests with partners in hard technology, biotechnology, and new energy. For every dollar it invests, it has leveraged eight dollars of long-term international capital.

Meanwhile, nurturing local talent remains our core priority. For the accounting profession, we are grateful to the HKICPA - and the IFAC as well - for working together to keep our talent pool at the forefront of global best practice.

We will continue to attract high-calibre professional talent to Hong Kong, to support our city's development. Indeed, our various talent admission schemes have received over 600 000 applications. More than 400 000 have been approved, and over 280 000 individuals have arrived.

A bright future for PAIBs

Ladies and gentlemen, I am confident that PAIBs, whether you are from Hong Kong or elsewhere, will find vast opportunities in this city. On a final note, as a professional accountant myself, I would like to take this opportunity to offer three observations to fellow accountants as we navigate this era of change.

First, strengthen digital and AI literacy. In the age of digital intelligence, the finance function will be more automated in routine tasks, but more demanding in analytics, scenario planning, and strategic insight. Human-machine collaboration will become the norm. PAIBs must proactively build their digital and AI capabilities, understand how data and algorithms enable informed decisions, and use AI tools intelligently and responsibly.

Second, better understand shifting geopolitics and economic patterns. Businesses will increasingly rely on PAIBs to assess risks, manage exposures, and advise boards on complex cross-border issues - from regulation and tax to sanctions, sustainability and reputational risk.

Third, and above all, uphold the highest standards of integrity and professional ethics. Trust is the foundation of markets and institutions. No matter how far technology evolves, the ultimate responsibility rests with people. PAIBs are guardians of that trust, and they are instrumental in maintaining rigorous financial reporting, strong internal controls, sound risk management and effective corporate governance.

I am sure you will hear further insights from other speakers at this Conference. On this note, I wish this Conference every success, and all of you good health and continued success in the years ahead. Thank you very much.

Speech by FS at HKICPA x IFAC PAIB Conference Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by FS at HKICPA x IFAC PAIB Conference Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases