Jockey Club’s PBC 2026 Forum Brings Global Leaders Together to “Leap for Impact”

Marking the 10th anniversary of the PBC forum, PBC 2026 took place at West Kowloon Cultural District on September 7 and 8. Convened by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust in association with the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), the two-day event brought together over 2,000 delegates and leaders from the worlds of philanthropy, sport, business, government, academia and the social sector to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping philanthropy.

Officiating at the forum’s opening ceremony was HKSAR Government Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki; the Club’s Chairman The Hon Martin Liao; and Club CEO and IoP Director Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. 

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao said, “Including this year, PBC will have engaged more than 10,000 participants over the past decade and featured more than 380 speakers from over 40 countries and regions – making it one of the world’s largest philanthropic assemblies. PBC 2026 examines the need for systems change, new approaches to capital and the capabilities required to deliver impact. It explores how cross-sector collaboration and multi-stakeholder partnerships can drive sustainable and lasting outcomes. Together, these contributions reflect PBC’s continuing role as a platform for sharing ideas, advancing understanding and connecting leaders around the practical solutions needed to address the challenges of our time.”

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of PBC 2026

Since its first edition in 2016, PBC has grown into one of the world’s largest philanthropy forums. Adopting the theme “Leaping for Impact”, this year’s forum is one of the highlights of the Club’s Year of the Horse campaign. Inspired by the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, and the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality, the forum explored what philanthropy can learn from sport in areas such as discipline, focus, resilience and teamwork.

Thematic discussions over the two days addressed pressing social issues including health, the well-being of older adults, urban poverty alleviation, heritage conservation, youth positive trajectory development, climate resilience and inclusive employment. Through Impact Studios, Co-Learning Workshops and other extended programmes it connected ideas with practical implementation and fostered collaborations that can generate tangible benefits for communities.

Asia-Pacific Philanthropy: Opportunities and Capital in Transition

A key topic of conversation at PBC 2026 was how new capital can be channeled into more catalytic and sustainable solutions. Club Deputy Chairman and IoP Chairman, Lester Huang, said this presents a significant opportunity to transform not only the volume of philanthropic giving, but also how philanthropic capital is deployed. The priority should be to direct capital towards solutions that are evidence-based, outcome-focused and capable of delivering sustainable benefits over the long term.

Club Deputy Chairman and IoP Chairman, Lester Huang

Huang added that The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has adopted an impact-led approach and initiated its own Trust-initiated Projects working in conjunction with the HKSAR Government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academia and community partners. The Trust also supports community partners through charitable donations for projects serving people from all walks of life in Hong Kong.

Moderated by Club Steward The Hon Bernard Chan (right), former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former United Nations Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark (left) delivered the opening keynote entitled “A New Era for Philanthropy: Leading Through Complexity”

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Club’s CEO and IoP Director, delivered the forum’s closing remarks, echoing insights from forum speakers and reflecting on the sector’s evolving journey. “If there is one lesson that has emerged consistently over the past two days, it is that meaningful impact does not happen by accident. It requires vision, discipline and commitment. But above all, it requires collaboration.” He added: “No organisation, foundation, government or business can address today’s challenges alone. Partnerships are key, but equally important is finding the right partners: those who bring complementary strengths, share our purpose are committed to achieving meaningful outcomes together.”

Club Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Institute of Philanthropy, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, delivers closing remarks at PBC 2026

The fourth plenary, entitled “Two Playbooks, One Goal: Navigating Social Mobility in Asia’s Twin Cities”, was moderated by The Hon Mrs Regina Ip, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council of the HKSAR (centre). It featured The Hon Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the HKSAR Government (left), and Tan See Leng, Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy & Industry) and Former Minister for Manpower, Singapore (right)

The fifth plenary, entitled “Expanding the Arena: Philanthropy, Leadership, and Pathways Beyond Sport”, featured a discussion between Olympic gold medallists Deng Yaping (1st left), Li Xiaopeng (2nd left), and Yang Yang (2nd right), together with 2026 international football tournament referee Ma Ning (centre)

Hari Menon, President of Global Growth & Opportunity at the Gates Foundation, delivers the forum’s opening keynote address on day two in a session entitled “The New Growth Agenda: Philanthropy’s Role in Expanding Opportunity for All”

Witnessed by Club Steward Jackson Woo (left), an MOU on early childhood education and development was signed by Dr Gabriel Leung, Club Executive Director, Charities and Community (right), and H.E. Dr Kim Sethany, Permanent Secretary of State of Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (centre), reaffirming their shared commitment to strengthening development foundations and better life trajectories for children

The forum’s closing plenary featured an intergenerational dialogue between a sport leader-turned-philanthropist and aspiring young athletes who want to drive change. The speakers were Yvette Kong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arelyx and Olympic swimmer (1st left); Jacqueline Lai, Hong Kong, China equestrian team rider and Asian Games medallist (2nd left); and Cado Lee, two-time Asian Games gold medallist and a Hong Kong, China Rugby Sevens player (2nd right). The panel was moderated by Yao Ming, Founder and Chairman of the Yao Foundation (1st right)

The Launch of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Impact Report

The Club and its Charities Trust officially released the first edition of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Impact Report on the first day of the forum, detailing the many ways in which the Club has improved lives and strengthened communities since its earliest recorded donation in 1915. The Club has developed a new three-tier hierarchical measurement framework, evaluating impact at project, programme and Trust levels.

The report highlights three key insights. First, resources should be more precisely targeted towards the most marginalised and underserved populations to maximise the impact of philanthropy. Second, initiatives should be designed with long-term sustainability in mind, delivering intensive and sustained interventions that empower beneficiaries to achieve lasting positive behavioural change. Third, impact measurement must incorporate flexible, prolonged follow-up periods tailored to the life cycle of each programme, enabling a more comprehensive assessment of long-term outcomes. The report sets out the Trust’s approach to impact measurement and illustrates the social impact generated by the many initiatives it has created or supported.

The Commission on Asian Philanthropy Launched its Interim Report

The Commission on Asian Philanthropy, co-convened by IoP and the Asian Philanthropy Congress (APHIC), also launched its Interim Report, presenting the first comprehensive research on the scale and scope of philanthropic ecosystems across participating Asian jurisdictions.

Citing the report’s estimates, domestic philanthropic giving across 10 jurisdictions representing 70 percent of Asia’s population and 80 percent of its GDP, reached US$109 billion in 2024, equivalent to more than US$1 trillion over the next decade. The report found that Asia’s philanthropy is shaped by everyday giving, contributions from businesses and public investment, reflecting a model in which community, market and state actors participate in philanthropy together. This broad-based mix of support suggests a philanthropic ecosystem characterised by participation from across society and a strong foundation for collaboration in pursuit of shared national priorities.

Huang said Asia is becoming an increasingly important force in global philanthropy, not only through growing capital but also through ideas, knowledge and leadership. As philanthropic activity continues to expand across the region, Asia has an opportunity to contribute its own perspectives and solutions to shared global challenges. The significance of philanthropic ecosystems cannot be understood through funding alone. Beyond financial resources, they contribute capabilities such as trusted networks, mobilisation around shared values, institutional legitimacy and long-term commitment that can support broader development outcomes.

The Commission on Asian Philanthropy launched its Interim Report during the forum. The Club CEO and IoP Director, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (centre), together with Commissioners from The Commission on Asian Philanthropy, pose for a group photo

Key finding of the report: philanthropy in Asia is not dominated by a single model, but by five models that collectively facilitate domestic giving: community-led, faith-based, corporate-led, state-led and ultra-high-net-worth individual-led philanthropy. The report also suggests three priority areas for further development:

1.Improving data visibility on philanthropic resources and capabilities;

2.Cultivating philanthropic models by learning from effective growth playbooks across the region;

3.Integrating philanthropic ecosystems as strategic assets in the planning and coordination of major social and development priorities.

Huang pointed out that the report’s findings can help decision-makers understand the sector’s resources and capabilities more systematically. They also reinforce the need for philanthropy to collaborate more closely, using evidence and impact measurement to direct resources effectively and generate tangible, sustainable outcomes for communities.

HKJC Remains the Leading Corporate Donor

In line with the theme of PBC 2026, The Bridgespan Group unveiled a new report examining what distinguishes family giving in Asia and how the world’s wealthiest families approach philanthropy. Supported by a Funders Council comprising IoP, The Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation, the research explores the relationship between family, business and philanthropy across the region. Separately, Bridgespan’s latest corporate giving research found that The Hong Kong Jockey Club and its Charities Trust remain the leading corporate donor in Asia and the eighth largest globally, with an annual average of approved donations of US$774 million from 2020 to 2024.

IoP Marks Third Anniversary with Substantive Progress

Established at PBC 2023 and now in its third year, IoP has made substantive progress, said Lester Huang, Club Deputy Chairman and IoP Chairman. Through the three mutually reinforcing pillars of “think”, “fund” and “do”, IoP supports philanthropic thought leadership and professionalising the sector.

Looking forward, he noted that IoP will continue to help advance philanthropy “in Asia, for Asia” by generating research and insights, strengthening sector capabilities, and creating a platform that fosters collaboration among philanthropic leaders and institutions. Through these efforts, IoP seeks to help shape a more connected, confident, and influential Asian philanthropy sector; one that is increasingly able to mobilise resources, share knowledge and address the opportunities and challenges facing the region.

The Club’s support for PBC, like all of its charity and community initiatives, is made possible by its unique value creation model through which the Club generates sustainable economic and social value for the community through tax contributions, charitable donations and employment opportunities.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) and the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), a “think-fund-do” tank established by The Hong Kong Jockey Club and its Charities Trust, today announced a US$4.68 million (HK$36.49 million) partnership to accelerate the adoption of next-generation, near point-of-care tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics in high-burden countries.

TB remains the world’s leading infectious disease killer, claiming more than one million lives every year despite being preventable and curable. Recent advances in TB vaccine and counter-measure development offer initial promise, whereas closing the diagnostic gap remains a critical missing link for controlling TB: current diagnostic methods do not only take time but also require multiple visits which delay diagnoses and hence sustain community transmission.

Dr. Gabriel Leung, Director of the Institute of Philanthropy (left), and Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund (right), formalised a US$4.68 million (HK$36 million)

To address this gap, the announced initiative focuses on capacity building to accelerate the uptake of a major diagnostic breakthrough: near point-of-care molecular tests recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for TB in March 2026. These tests utilise easy-to-collect swab samples, deliver results in under an hour, and provide a highly cost-effective tool designed for deployment in primary healthcare settings such as frontline clinics.

“Transformative health innovations only deliver their full potential when countries can access them and have the support they need to put them into practice,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “This partnership with the Institute of Philanthropy will help countries accelerate the adoption of new TB diagnostic technologies and bring high-quality testing closer to the communities that need it most.”

By bringing rapid testing closer to where people live, the technology enables patients to receive an accurate diagnosis and potentially begin treatment during a single clinic visit—thereby reducing diagnostic delays, preventing patients from being lost to follow-up, and curbing further transmission. This marks a significant shift in TB diagnosis: moving away from reliance on century-old sputum smear microscopy toward rapid molecular testing designed around the needs of patients rather than distant laboratories.

“Philanthropy can play a catalytic role in helping proven health innovations reach people faster. Particularly when Asia stands at a pivotal moment in the fight against TB, with a significant opportunity to accelerate access to life-saving diagnosis through innovation,” said Dr. Gabriel Leung, Director of the Institute of Philanthropy. “Through this partnership, we also see significant potential for innovative diagnostic technologies to strengthen epidemic preparedness across Asia by helping health systems detect and respond to infectious disease threats more effectively.”

Building upon the Global Fund’s existing implementation efforts in 13 early adopter countries, this initiative will provide complementary technical assistance and operational support to enable effective, sustainable deployment across at least four Asian priority countries. Specifically, the initiative will:

1. Provide nationally embedded technical assistance in Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. This will focus on strengthening day-to-day planning and implementation of near point-of-care diagnostics, enhancing data collection and logistics systems, facilitating the integration into national diagnostic algorithms and laboratory networks, as well as delivering structured training for implementing partners and local health facilities.

2. Develop evidence and generate demand in early adopter countries. The initiative will systematically document implementation experiences across early adopter countries, including identifying key barriers related to procurement planning, human resources, operational workflows, and service delivery models.

3. Facilitate regional peer-to-peer learning and provide ad-hoc, demand-driven support. In close collaboration with WHO country and regional offices, the initiative will facilitate regional learning among early adopters and other interested countries through convening annual regional workshops and disseminating best practices and guidance.

Anchored in the East for the world, IoP was established in 2023 in Hong Kong, a city with a distinguished history in the fight against TB which pioneered an effective short-course treatment regimen back in the 1960s. This initiative reflects IoP’s aligned vision with its partners to accelerate the uptake of health innovation in Asia while addressing last-mile adoption challenges in strengthening preparedness for future health emergencies.