InvestHK and London ETO Shine at London Tech Week 2026, Opening Pathways for UK Entrepreneurs to Scale across Asia

InvestHK and London ETO take centre stage at London Tech Week 2026, opening pathways for UK entrepreneurs to scale across Asia

Hong Kong's innovation story took the spotlight at London Tech Week 2026 (June 8 to 10, London time), as Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London (London ETO) spearheaded a few days of high-impact engagements aimed at deepening United Kingdom (UK)-Hong Kong collaboration in technology, talent and capital. The initiatives highlighted Hong Kong's edge as a launchpad for British start-ups and scale-ups seeking access to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the wider Asian markets.

Returning as the official Founders Fuse Partners at London Tech Week, InvestHK and the London ETO hosted seven fireside chats under the theme "Hong Kong: Hubs for Founders to Scale". Moderated by the Head of Business and Talent Attraction/Investment Promotion of the InvestHK London Office, Ms Daisy Ip, the fireside chats brought together founders and executives whose journeys highlight Hong Kong's opportunities for growth, funding, innovation, and global partnerships. Speakers included Co-founder and Chief Operation Officer of 3AI, Mr Hassan Salamony; the Chief Executive Officer of Westwell Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited, Ms Kay Yang; the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Extend Robotics, Mr Chang Liu; the Chief Financial Officer of Capricornio Capital, Mr Bruno Montez-Carpes; Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TG0, Mr Ming Kong; the Business Development and Strategic Partnerships Lead of Graymatics UK, Ms Anuradha Pullagura; and the Founder of ProMaterial, Ms Yining Shen. Their stories spanned AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing, capital markets and next-generation materials - reflecting the breadth of sectors in which UK businesses are scaling successfully through Hong Kong.

To catalyse deeper connections, InvestHK - in collaboration with the London ETO and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) under the Economic and Trade Express (ETE) initiative - hosted a series of high-profile networking receptions on June 8 and 9. The events brought together around 140 tech entrepreneurs, founders, investors, and senior representatives from the UK Government, financial institutions, and the broader business ecosystem.

The Director-General of the London ETO, Miss Fiona Chau, said, "The phenomenal turnout at London Tech Week reflects the genuine momentum behind the UK-Hong Kong tech corridor. We see immense potential to translate this high level of interest into deep, long-term commercial partnerships. Since 2022, the Hong Kong Government has earmarked HK$30 billion (approximately 2.85 billion British pounds) to champion strategic enterprises and frontier technologies - spanning life and health tech, AI, green technology, and advanced manufacturing. Backed by robust funding and capital support, world-class intellectual property protections, and a transparent legal framework, Hong Kong remains the ultimate strategic launchpad for thriving UK tech businesses looking to scale into the Chinese Mainland and broader Asian markets."

Ms Ip said, "Hong Kong's appeal among British entrepreneurs continues to grow, sustained by enduring cultural and economic synergies. The UK currently stands as our fourth-largest source market for overseas companies, and it remains Hong Kong's second-largest source of international start-up founders, according to an InvestHK survey in 2025. As the central hub for attracting strategic investment and enterprise, InvestHK is fully committed to empowering British innovators and helping them leverage Hong Kong as their launchpad for global growth."

Discussions throughout the week revealed a powerful strategic alignment between Hong Kong's innovation priorities and the UK Government's "Modern Industrial Strategy." Both markets share a clear focus on high-growth sectors, including AI, fintech, healthtech, greentech, and digital transformation. UK founders demonstrated keen interest in leveraging Hong Kong's dual strengths as a premier capital-raising hub and a seamless conduit to the GBA - a powerhouse regional market of over 88 million consumers with a combined GDP of US$2 trillion that offers unparalleled scaling opportunities.

Hong Kong's innovation story took the spotlight at London Tech Week 2026 (June 8 to 10, London time), as Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London spearheaded a few days of high-impact engagements aimed at deepening United Kingdom-Hong Kong collaboration in technology, talent and capital. Photo shows one of the fireside chats moderated by the Head of Business and Talent Attraction/Investment Promotion of the InvestHK London Office, Ms Daisy Ip (left). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong's innovation story took the spotlight at London Tech Week 2026 (June 8 to 10, London time), as Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London spearheaded a few days of high-impact engagements aimed at deepening United Kingdom-Hong Kong collaboration in technology, talent and capital. Photo shows the Head of Business and Talent Attraction/Investment Promotion of the InvestHK London Office, Ms Daisy Ip, delivering a speech at the event. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong's innovation story took the spotlight at London Tech Week 2026 (June 8 to 10, London time), as Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London (London ETO) spearheaded a few days of high-impact engagements aimed at deepening United Kingdom-Hong Kong collaboration in technology, talent and capital. Photo shows the Director-General of the London ETO, Miss Fiona Chau, delivering a speech at the event. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects three smuggling cases involving river trade vessels with goods worth about $32 million seized

Hong Kong Customs detected three suspected smuggling cases involving river trade vessels on May 19, May 27 and June 2 respectively. Large batches of suspected smuggled goods with a total estimated market value of about $32 million were seized.

Through intelligence analysis and risk assessment, three river trade vessels departing from Hong Kong for Macao were selected for inspection on the abovementioned dates. Upon examination, Customs officers aboard the vessels found large batches of suspected smuggled goods, including suspected pharmaceutical products, cosmetic injections, anti-obesity injections, tobacco products, heated tobacco products, and suspected scheduled redwood and whale teeth.

Investigations are ongoing. The likelihood of arrests is not ruled out.

Being a government department primarily responsible for tackling smuggling activities, Customs has long been combating various smuggling activities on all fronts. Customs will keep up its enforcement action and continue to resolutely combat sea smuggling activities through proactive risk management and intelligence-based enforcement strategies, and carry out targeted anti-smuggling operations at suitable times to crack down on relevant crimes.

Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years upon conviction.

Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.

Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account(crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs detects three smuggling cases involving river trade vessels with goods worth about $32 million seized Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases