Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po welcomes Australian companies to consider a dual listing in Hong Kong at the CPA Australia Congress Hong Kong 2026 on Thursday, highlighting Hong Kong’s global reach in raising capital.
Chan noted international investors’ contribution to Hong Kong’s initial public offerings, which raised some HK$388 billion in the first nine months of this year, more than double that amount a year earlier. Investors included the US, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, alongside continued capital flows from the mainland.
Enterprises from Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East are also exploring opportunities to list equities or issue bonds in Hong Kong, he added.
Hong Kong brings together capital, innovators, enterprises and professional expertise, Chan said, noting that even though businesses today face no shortage of advice in diversification amid embracing technology and artificial intelligence, and preparing for the green transition, accounting professionals are there to test assumptions, weigh the choices, and help businesses turn promising ideas into workable plans.
“I see three qualities becoming increasingly valuable for fellow accountants: technological competence grounded in business understanding; integrity and sound judgement; and an international outlook with the ability to collaborate across markets, disciplines and cultures,” Chan said.
Asheley Jones, chief learning and innovation officer at CPA Australia, said the next generation of accounting and finance professionals are crucial in shaping the world, and the profession must prepare for it.
“Our ambition extends beyond knowledge. It is about preparing future accounting and finance professionals to apply judgement, question assumptions and respond confidently to a changing world,” said Jones.
Scientific futurist and globally recognized innovator of influence, Catherine Ball, predicted the term "AI" will be dead within 18 months amid a "sixth Industrial Revolution" of ambient intelligence.
She warned that "using AI to manage AI is both the next frontier of financial security and a new attack layer," stressing that all AI strategies are data strategies and global oversight must mirror financial regulation.
Ball also said human value will shift "from what you know to who you know," defined by real connections and the courage to be unpredictable amid uncertainty.
Internationally recognized futurist Ben Hamer urged businesses to focus less on predicting the future and more on building capabilities to respond to change.
"The future is not about being right, but about being ready," he said, noting AI is less about job loss than job redesign, with roles shifting toward judgement, insight and trusted advice.
"The firms that succeed won't be those with the latest technology, but those that invest in their people," he said
At the congress, Chan highlighted that the first Five-Year Plan prioritizes two connected themes – finance and innovation and technology.
Chan said Hong Kong’s core strengths in executing capital lie in its close connection with the mainland, as the mainland provides strong research and outcome translation capabilities, extensive supply chain, and advanced manufacturing networks.
“We want to put these strengths to fuller use, thereby developing new growth engines, supporting new industries, helping businesses transform and expand, as well as financing the greeb transition,” Chan said.
The mainland’s vast market also helps take technologies from the laboratory to the market at scale, he said. Yet, advances in AI, semiconductors, and green technologies are also opening up new investment opportunities.
Hong Kong connects these strengths and opportunities with international capital and global markets, Chan noted, helping mainland enterprises navigate international requirements and expand overseas, while offering global investors a trusted and familiar platform to participate in the mainland's growth.
The Northern Metropolis development is not just about land and buildings, it also brings together education, research, talent, enterprises, and industry to create a new growth engine, Chan said.
The government is shortening the cycle from scientific research outcomes to market application and providing space for startups to grow.
Meanwhile, Chan said Hong Kong is also expanding its sustainable finance taxonomy and aligning sustainability disclosures with international standards.
Hong Kong topped Asia in arranging green and sustainable finance debts, he noted, handling a total amount of about US$ 77 billion (HK600.6 billion) last year.
