Hong Kong to unveil measures at two international finance events this week
Financial Secretary Paul Chan says third-quarter GDP data on Tuesday will likely show faster growth, with the full-year forecast possibly revised up. Two major finance events from Monday will announce new measures and cooperation plans on AI, tokenisation and payment connectivity.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Sunday that Hong Kong's economy continued to show strong momentum, with third-quarter gross domestic product data to be released on Tuesday likely to exceed market expectations. The growth rate in the July-to-September period accelerated from the second quarter, marking the 15th consecutive quarter of positive expansion, according to preliminary figures. The year-on-year increase in real GDP for the first three quarters combined would be the largest for the same period in five years.
Chan, writing in his weekly blog, attributed the growth partly to faster export growth and solid domestic demand. Exports in September surged 64.9 per cent year on year, the largest single-month increase in more than four decades and the 20th consecutive month of double-digit growth. Private investment spending also rose at a double-digit pace for the third straight quarter. Retail and food-and-beverage revenue figures to be released soon are expected to show moderate gains.
Chan noted that technology innovation was a key driver of the current expansion, benefiting Hong Kong. He said the government would keep a close watch on geopolitical and economic developments, as well as monetary policy trends at major central banks.
Two major international finance events — “Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK 2026” and the “International Financial Leaders Investment Summit” — kick off on Monday. The FinTech Week, with the theme “FinTech Hub: Connecting the World, Building the Future”, runs for five days. During the event, the government and several financial regulators will announce new measures and cooperation plans focusing on artificial intelligence applications and governance, tokenisation, and payment connectivity. These aim to improve market efficiency, deliver better services to residents and small and medium-sized enterprises, and create new opportunities for fintech companies.
The fifth “International Financial Leaders Investment Summit” will gather about 280 global financial leaders, including around 120 chairmen and chief executives of top-tier financial institutions worldwide. The summit's theme is “Transforming Mindsets, Opening New Horizons”. The development of AI computing power competition and related investment is expected to be a key topic of discussion among participants.