Hong Kong provides global businesses with certainty from which to invest, innovate and flourish over the long term amid an ever-shifting landscape, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Monday.
Delivering a speech at Hong Kong Fintech Week x StartmeupHK 2026, Lee said this year's event counts some 1,000 governmental leaders and fintech, finance and technology professionals from over 100 countries and economies.
Lee pointed out Hong Kong's position as the world's No.1 in economic freedom and Asia's leading international financial centre, as the city is backed by confidence from global investors, who continue to pool their capital in the place.
InvestHK has helped more than 550 overseas and mainland companies establish or expand their businesses in Hong Kong during the January-September period, up 14 percent year-on-year, reflecting the trust from international firms, he said.
These businesses brought in about US$9 billion (HK$70.2 billion) in foreign direct investment, creating about 11,100 jobs within the first year of their opening or expansion, he added.
Lee also pointed to the Northern Metropolis, which is creating an innovation through-train, connecting talent and research with commercialisation and industry – and ultimately, with capital and global markets.
Regarding the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong will develop an Innovation & Technology industry chain within it, creating an international collaboration network that deepens regional ties with the mainland, as well as international co-operation, Lee said.
"It's in Hong Kong that you access global capital while remaining close to one of the world's most dynamic engines of innovation and growth," he noted.
Lee added that Hong Kong is a place built on multilateralism, free trade and mutual opportunities, where people can take an idea from research to commercialisation and then expand to global markets.
