Hong Kong aims to bridge Asian innovation with global capital, Paul Chan says

Hong Kong aims to be the platform where Asian innovation meets global capital, and where global capital meets Asian growth, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said.

Speaking at the 40th General Assembly of Asian and Oceanian Stock Exchanges Federation, Chan said the city has served as a gateway between international capital and the Chinese market, and is increasingly a platform where the assets of one Asian market can be packaged and discovered by global investors who might otherwise never look at it.

Global institutional investors are actively seeking diversification and long-term growth, looking for Asia's next generation of enterprises - green-energy innovators, digital banks, advanced manufacturers, etc, he said.

Hong Kong's role is to ensure that when that capital arrives, it flows efficiently to where Asia's best opportunities are - wherever they may be listed, Chan added.

The Federation's 17 members represent roughly one-third of global market capitalization and more than half of the world's listed companies, he said.

Yet many international investors still treat Asia as an afterthought, because of too many global funds; navigating across the markets remains complex and unfamiliar when approaching them one by one, Chan pointed.

“When an international asset manager can deploy capital into Korean semiconductors, Indian fintech, and Southeast Asian green infrastructure through a single, familiar infrastructure, we all benefit,” Chan said.

“Our diversity is our strength, but only if we build the bridges that turn complexity into seamless accessibility,” he added.