Since the beginning of last year, investors from the Middle East, Europe, America, ASEAN and other regions have rapidly entered the Hong Kong market. Recently, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Yu Weiwen, stated in an interview with reporters that despite the complex and changing external environment, the Hong Kong financial market has remained stable and demonstrated strong resilience. Data shows that the total amount of deposits in Hong Kong increased by 11.8% year-on-year last year, and global funds accelerated their inflow and diversified investments, continuously casting a "vote of confidence" for Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority recently held a media conference in Beijing, where Yu Weiwen answered questions from reporters on hot topics such as deepening connectivity with the mainland financial market, promoting the development of financial technology, advancing the internationalization of the renminbi, and expanding emerging markets. Hong Kong has always been an important bridge between the mainland and the world in finance, and this role will become even more important in the future, "said Yu Weiwen.
Financial markets remain stable
Our strategy is' seeking progress through stability ', and the most important thing is financial stability. Without stability, it is difficult to develop. "Yu Weiwen introduced that in the past year, the overall operation of Hong Kong's financial system has been stable, with foreign exchange reserves exceeding 440 billion US dollars, bank capital adequacy ratios exceeding 20%, and the average liquidity coverage ratio of major banks exceeding 160%, which is higher than international standards.
Based on stability, the Hong Kong financial market has performed actively and achieved impressive results. Data shows that in 2025, the IPO fundraising amount of Hong Kong stocks reached HKD 285.8 billion, ranking first in the world. Since the beginning of this year, the strong growth momentum has continued, with the first quarter fundraising amount exceeding HKD 110 billion, an increase of up to 522%, continuing to lead the world.
In terms of the bond market, the total amount of international bonds arranged for issuance in Hong Kong in 2025 will exceed 133 billion US dollars, of which the total amount of green and sustainable bonds will reach 37.7 billion US dollars, both of which are the top in Asia.
In terms of asset management, according to the "2026 Global Wealth Report" released by Boston Consulting Group, the scale of cross-border wealth management in Hong Kong reached $2.95 trillion at the end of last year, surpassing Switzerland for the first time and becoming the world's largest cross-border wealth management center.
Why does the Hong Kong financial market have such a strong 'magnetic attraction' to global funds? Yu Weiwen analyzed that the diversification of global asset allocation is the fundamental reason driving international investors to enter the Hong Kong market. Since the beginning of last year, both individual and institutional investors have been seeking diversification. Hong Kong has the triple advantages of system, location, and market, and will continue to attract global capital inflows in the future, "said Yu Weiwen. Recently, Hong Kong has been actively expanding into emerging markets such as the Middle East and Central Asia, creating a broader and more diverse network." I think there are good business opportunities and great development space.
Accelerate the promotion of interconnectivity
Connectivity is a major highlight of Hong Kong as an international financial center, "Yu Weiwen told reporters. Hong Kong's core positioning has always been a super financial bridge connecting the mainland and the global market.
On the one hand, international investors are accelerating their "coming to Asia" and expanding their presence in the mainland Chinese capital market, generally prioritizing Hong Kong. At present, more than 70% of international investors investing in the mainland capital market go through Hong Kong in stocks, and about 60% go through Hong Kong in bonds. In the future, as more international sovereign funds and reserve funds diversify their allocation of Asian assets, related capital flows are expected to continue to increase, "said Yu Weiwen.
On the other hand, many mainland enterprises or funds are expanding globally, and Hong Kong is also the preferred offshore financial management and operation center. One reason is that conducting international business in Hong Kong is more flexible and adaptable, with convenient operations such as payments, loans, bond issuance, and investments. Another reason is that the Hong Kong market is deep, with a complete range of financial markets and close connectivity with the world. Moreover, as a part of China, Hong Kong is stable and safe, making it the most familiar and reliable choice for mainland enterprises to go global, "said Yu Weiwen.
In order to better meet the market demand, Yu Weiwen revealed that in the future, Hong Kong and the mainland financial markets will deepen their connectivity around multiple dimensions, among which the "North Link" funds of Shanghai Hong Kong Stock Connect, Shenzhen Hong Kong Stock Connect and Bond Connect are expected to further increase, and the "South Link" will further optimize its processes, lines and product categories. Regarding the highly anticipated Cross border Wealth Management 3.0, Yu Weiwen stated that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority has been in close communication with mainland regulatory authorities on product categories, investment quotas, investor access, and other related matters.
Building a fintech hub
As an international financial center, Hong Kong needs to be at the forefront of international financial development trends. Among them, financial technology is an important part. "Yu Weiwen introduced that Hong Kong is making forward-looking layouts, building a globally leading financial technology hub, and continuously consolidating and enhancing its position as an international financial center.
At the end of last year, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced its "FinTech 2030" development strategy, focusing on four key areas, including building a new generation of data and payment infrastructure, supporting the industry's all-round application of artificial intelligence, strengthening business and technology resilience, and promoting financial tokenization, covering over 40 specific projects.
Yu Weiwen introduced that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Hong Kong Cyberport launched the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenA. I.) sandbox as early as 2024. Nowadays, AI technology has been widely applied in three major scenarios: intelligent customer service, financial regulation, and anti fraud. Financial technology has entered a stage of rapid development. The first 15 pilot projects of GenA.I. Sandbox were all tested last year, and the related results have been gradually transformed into products for market launch. The second batch of 27 pilot projects have been gradually tested since the beginning of this year, and it is expected to complete testing in the second half of this year and strive to be put into practical application.
In March of this year, the sandbox was expanded to "GenA.I. Sandbox++", covering multiple financial sectors including banking, securities and capital markets, asset and wealth management, insurance, mandatory provident fund (MPF), and stored value payment tools. Applications are currently being accepted.
Overall, although there are risks in the external environment, it has also created new opportunities, "Yu Weiwen told reporters. Hong Kong must seize these changes and opportunities, actively align with the national" 15th Five Year Plan ", and contribute Hong Kong's strength to the country's financial development.