HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire – 26 June 2026 – More than 380 representatives of global enterprises joined a welcome reception yesterday (June 25) for 413 newly arrived or expanded overseas and Chinese Mainland companies in Hong Kong.
During the reception, Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the government's investment promotion agency, announced impressive results for the first half of 2026, revealing that these enterprises are expected to bring in over HK$53 billion (US$6.8 billion) in foreign direct investment and create over 8,600 new jobs for Hong Kong.
Speaking at the reception, John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said Hong Kong is one of the best places in the world to do business, being ranked as the world's freest economy by the Fraser Institute and the second most competitive economy according to the latest IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook.
"In choosing Hong Kong for your Asian and global business expansion, you share my belief in Hong Kong's flourishing future," Mr Lee said. "You have made a wise choice. Hong Kong is one of the world's best economies to do business in and with."
Under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong possesses the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support from the country (China) and being closely connected to the world. The city offers an open and business-friendly environment, a simple and low tax regime, and a common law system that seamlessly connects with global financial centres.
Austria-based transport and logistics firm Gebrüder Weiss recently upgraded its Hong Kong office to become regional headquarters in East Asia and Oceania. Its Regional Director East Asia/Oceania, Michael Zankel, said of Hong Kong, "The business environment is great, you have a lot of talent around here to employ. It has always been the gateway to the Chinese Mainland but for us it is more a gateway to Asia."
According to Merwann Younes, Global Head of Hospitality & Lifestyle Channels for Italian company Moleskine, Hong Kong is a "a very dynamic and creative city, which are also the core values for Moleskine as a brand."
Etienne Dubois, Chief Strategy Officer, Unlimitics, which has developed an AI-powered school simulation game designed for neurodivergent children, said Hong Kong is a good place for start-up entrepreneurs like himself. "It is a very good melting pot for talent and opportunities and for growth," he said.
Expanding on its first half results for 2026, InvestHK announced that its number of completed projects had increased 9% compared to the same period in 2025, while anticipated direct investment was up 36% and new jobs created rose 6% year-on-year.
In terms of place of origin of the 413 enterprises, 246 came from the Chinese Mainland, followed by Singapore (26), the United States (21), the United Kingdom (18), France (11) and Italy (11).
The top five sectors are innovation and technology (93), financial services and fintech (89), tourism and hospitality (55), transport, logistics and industrials (44), and business and professional services (39).
Looking ahead, Mr Lee said the HKSAR Government was expediting development of the Northern Metropolis, a new economic engine destined to rise as an international I&T and business hub.
"This will unlock abundant opportunities and shape a prosperous future for Hong Kong," Mr Lee said, adding that the HKSAR Government is creating Hong Kong's first Five-Year Plan, a strategic blueprint that will focus on long-term economic momentum, advancing technology and improving livelihoods.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 26 June 2026 - FWD Insurance ("FWD") has achieved spectacular success at the Bloomberg Businessweek/Chinese Edition "Financial Institutions 2026" awards. In addition to winning the prestigious "Insurance Company of the Year" award for the third time, FWD stood out among numerous insurance institutions to clinch the newly introduced "Top Insurance Company of the Year" award in the category, which honours the insurer that demonstrates the most comprehensive and outstanding performance across product innovation, digital technology, customer service, multi-channel distribution, talent development, and integrated marketing. FWD was also named the most awarded insurer for the ninth straight year, securing a total of 22 accolades, including 16 Excellence Awards and six Outstanding Awards (see appendix), which serves as a powerful testament to FWD's strengths across all business areas.
Building on its exceptional performance and industry recognition, FWD Hong Kong continues to solidify its position as a top five pan-Asian insurer by business scale in Hong Kong¹. In 2025, FWD's growth in both new business first year premium and new business annual premium equivalent outperformed the market average. This not only demonstrates FWD's robust market leadership but also validates the success of FWD's strategy in deepening its local and offshore business including mainland Chinese visitors, as well as capturing opportunities in the high-net-worth (HNW) market.
First-ever "Top Insurance Company of the Year" award in the insurance sector, elevating market leadership
Ken Lau, Managing Director of Greater China and Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer, FWD, said, "We are deeply honoured to be recognised as the most awarded insurer in the Bloomberg Businessweek/Chinese Edition 'Financial Institutions' for the ninth consecutive year. Winning the newly introduced 'Top Insurance Company of the Year' award is particularly meaningful to us. Over the past year, FWD has celebrated several key milestones in Hong Kong, including the successful listing of FWD Group on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and the grand opening of FWD Hong Kong's new headquarters, 'FWD Tower'. These milestones fully demonstrate our long-term commitment to deepening our business footprint in Hong Kong."
He added, "I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our customers for their unwavering support over the years; their trust is our greatest motivation. These accolades also belong to every one of our colleagues, agency teams, and partners. Their relentless efforts in product and service innovation, digital technology, and talent development are the very foundation of FWD's recognition. We will continue changing the way people feel about insurance by putting customers at the heart of everything we do."
Stellar performance in health protection with award-winning medical products
FWD is committed to providing customers with premium medical protection and quality services, winning "Medical Care" Award for nine consecutive years and "Health & Protection (Product)" Award for the third straight year. This time, leveraging three flagship medical products—"vBooster Medical Plan," "vPrime Signature Medical Plan,"2 and "One&All Medical Insurance Plan"—FWD was named the winner in both categories again, affirming FWD's leading position in health protection products.
Among these, "vBooster Medical Plan" and "vPrime Signature Medical Plan" continued their success in the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) category by securing the "Voluntary Health Insurance" Award for the sixth time, proving that FWD's VHIS products remain highly popular among customers for their good value and quality value-added services. Designed to offer flexible and affordable medical protection to all, the "One&All Medical Insurance Plan" won the "Product Innovation" Excellence Award for its innovative product design that integrates Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies.
Furthermore, "vPrime Signature Medical Plan," in combination with "FWD Care," won the "High Net Worth Service" Excellence Award, a category which FWD has won for the eighth straight year. "FWD Care" also clinched the "Service Innovation" Excellence Award for the third time, providing customers with value-added services beyond financial support, covering prevention and healthcare, treatment and recovery. FWD extended its winning streak with the "Client Service" and "GBA Macau Client Service" Excellence Awards, demonstrating recognition for its top-tier customer service.
Spearheading the HNW segment with innovative wealth management solutions
FWD has pioneered indexed universal life (IUL) insurance plan, leading new trends in the HNW wealth management landscape. Winning the "Life Insurance" Excellence Award, "Imperial Fortune (HK) Insurance Plan" is the first IUL insurance product in Hong Kong3 to offer uncapped crediting interest rate coupled with guaranteed stable returns. Meanwhile, "Imperial Wealth (HK) Insurance Plan" secured the "Life & Wealth Management Insurance" Outstanding Award, further cementing FWD's competitive edge in the HNW segment.
Multi-channel distribution success driven by focus on agency and digital distribution
FWD is dedicated to providing continuous and diversified training for its tied agency force, partnering with world-class academic institutions such as INSEAD, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University through FWD Business Academy to nurture the next generation of industry leaders. This year, FWD continues previous success of winning the "Training Academy of the Year" and the "Training and Development Achievement (Agency Force)" Awards. FWD also took home Outstanding Awards in the "District Achievement of the Year (Agency Force)" and the newly added "Emerging District (Agency Force)" categories, highlighting FWD's long-term commitment to the professional development of its agents.
On the other hand, the FWD online insurance platform, adhering to its human-centric design philosophy, combines data-driven insights and innovative technology to address customer pain points, reshaping the entire insurance experience from product exploration and application to claims. The platform won the "Online Platform" Award for the third consecutive year, validating FWD's undisputed edge in the digital distribution segment.
Digital innovation setting new standards for customer experience
FWD continues to enhance its digital and customer experiences through its "customer-led and tech-enabled" approach. The FWD MAX lifestyle experience platform has been repositioned as an "Intelligent Life Companion," seamlessly integrating into users' daily lives by gathering concerts, mega events, healthy living, and daily rewards in one platform. Thanks to its outstanding user experience and customer engagement, FWD MAX secured both the "Mobile App Usability" Excellence Award and the "Customer Engagement" Outstanding Award.
At the same time, FWD leverages an integrated analytics data hub to drive decision-making, optimising agency performance and customer reach, which earned FWD the Outstanding Award in the newly introduced "Data Analytics" category. FWD's AI-powered claims management system enables simplified claims to be completed in as fast as 35 seconds with an aggregate successful claims rate of 95%4, winning the "Claims Management" Excellence Award.
FWD also fully demonstrated its robust branding strength in digital marketing. "vPrime Medical Plan" and "One&All Medical Insurance Plan" respectively won the "Digital Marketing (Product / Service)" Award (fifth win) and "Integrated Marketing (Branding Promotion)" Award (fourth win).
Appendix: List of awards won by FWD at the Bloomberg Businessweek/Chinese Edition "Financial Institutions 2026"
Category
Winner
Award
HK Insurance Sector - Insurance Company of the Year
- Winner for three consecutive years
- First-ever "Top Insurance Company of the Year" Award
FWD Hong Kong
Top Insurance Company of the Year
HK Insurance Sector – Medical Care
- Nine consecutive wins
vBooster Medical Plan + vPrime Signature Medical Plan + One&All Medical Insurance Plan
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector – High Net Worth Service
- Eight consecutive wins
vPrime Signature Medical Plan + FWD Care
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Digital Marketing (Product / Service)
- Five consecutive wins
vPrime Medical Plan
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Mobile App Usability
- Four consecutive wins
FWD MAX
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Integrated Marketing (Branding Promotion)
- Four consecutive wins
One&All Medical Insurance Plan
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Training and Development Achievement (Agency Force)
- Four consecutive wins
FWD Hong Kong
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Training Academy of the Year
- Four consecutive wins
FWD Hong Kong
Excellence
GBA Macau Insurance Sector - GBA Macau Client Service
- Three consecutive wins
FWD Macau
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Health & Protection (Product)
- Three consecutive wins
vBooster Medical Plan + vPrime Signature Medical Plan + One&All Medical Insurance Plan
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector – Service Innovation
- Three consecutive wins
FWD Care
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Online Platform
- Three consecutive wins
FWD Online Insurance Platform
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Client Service
- Three consecutive wins
FWD Hong Kong
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Life Insurance
Imperial Fortune (HK) Insurance Plan
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Product Innovation
One&All Medical Insurance Plan
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Claims Management
FWD Hong Kong
Excellence
HK Insurance Sector - Voluntary Health Insurance
- Six consecutive wins
vBooster Medical Plan + vPrime Signature Medical Plan
Outstanding
HK Insurance Sector - District Achievement of the Year (Agency Force)
- Four consecutive wins
Philip Lo, Region Director
Outstanding
HK Insurance Sector - Life & Wealth Management Insurance
- Two consecutive wins
Imperial Wealth (HK) Insurance Plan
Outstanding
HK Insurance Sector - Emerging District (Agency Force)
Liu Lai Ting, Senior District Director
Outstanding
HK Insurance Sector - Customer Engagement
FWD MAX
Outstanding
HK Insurance Sector - Data Analytics
Integrated Analytics Data Hub
Outstanding
- Winner for three consecutive years
- First-ever "Top Insurance Company of the Year" Award
- Nine consecutive wins
- Eight consecutive wins
- Five consecutive wins
- Four consecutive wins
- Four consecutive wins
- Four consecutive wins
- Four consecutive wins
- Three consecutive wins
- Three consecutive wins
- Three consecutive wins
- Three consecutive wins
- Three consecutive wins
- Six consecutive wins
- Four consecutive wins
- Two consecutive wins
Note: "consecutive wins" refers to receiving awards in the respective award category multiple years in a row.
1. Based on FWD's provisional statistics of Hong Kong long-term insurance business from January to December 2025 and market information, FWD ranks among the top five pan-Asian insurance companies in Hong Kong in terms of new business first-year premium and number of new policies. Calculations include individual and group businesses. Pan-Asian insurance companies refer to multinational insurance companies that currently have a substantial operating base in Asian markets and adopt multi-channel distribution. 2. vBooster Medical Plan, vPrime Medical Plan and vPrime Signature Medical Plan are Flexi Plans certified by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government under the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (Certification number is F00069, F00045 and F00070 respectively) and are underwritten by FWD Life Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited (incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability) (VHIS provider registration number is 00036). 3. Based on a comparison of indexed universal life insurance products between FWD and major insurance companies in Hong Kong as of July 2025. 4. Only counting cases received and settled within the year of 2025.
Hashtag: #FWDHongKong
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About FWD Hong Kong
FWD Hong Kong is part of the FWD Group (1828.HK), a pan-Asian life and health insurance business that serves approximately 40 million customers across 10 markets, including BRI Life in Indonesia. FWD Hong Kong is firmly positioned as a top five pan-Asian insurer by business scale in Hong Kong*.
FWD Hong Kong has been assigned strong financial ratings by international agencies. It offers life and medical insurance, employee benefits, and financial planning.
FWD's customer-led and tech-enabled approach aims to deliver innovative propositions, easy-to-understand products and a simpler insurance experience. Established in 2013, the company operates in some of the fastest-growing insurance markets in the world with a vision of changing the way people feel about insurance. FWD Group is listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code 1828.
For more information about FWD Hong Kong, please visitwww.fwd.com.hk.
*According to Provisional Statistics on Hong Kong Long Term Insurance Business - January to December 2025, Insurance Authority of Hong Kong, as well as FWD's own assessment based on market information, FWD ranks among the top five pan-Asian insurers in Hong Kong in both new business first year premium and new business case count rankings. Calculated based on individual and group businesses. Pan-Asian insurers refer to multinational insurers currently having a well-established operation in the Asian market with multiple distribution channels.
** This press release is distributed by Media OutReach Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
