Despite political unrest, the Hong Kong startup ecosystem has continued to grow with the number of fintech companies based in the territory now exceeding 600.
Hong Kong fintech company have raised US$1.1 billion over the past five years, and the territory’s fintech unicorns today have a total valuation of approximately US$8.5 billion.
The Hong Kong government has been supporting the sector and has strengthened cooperation with regulators in other jurisdictions to encourage cross-border fintech development.
In 2020, the Hong Kong fintech industry is set to witness several developments as the first virtual banks begin operations and as the banking sector continues to transition towards open banking.
To keep up with Hong Kong’s rapidly evolving fintech ecosystem, we look today at 9 of the top fintech events that are taking place this year in the territory.
From an Idea to a Company: Accelerators and Funding Opportunities in 2020
January 21, 2020
Garage Academy, 4F, Beverly House, 93-107 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, HKI
Garage Academy will be hosting an event on January 21, targeted at startup founders, entrepreneurs, as well as investors. The event will allow them to connect with fellow entrepreneurial minds, build their personal and professional skill set, and grow their businesses.
Participants will get to the chance to meet with, and learn from, some of the best ecosystem builders in the business, and discover the numerous investment, mentorship and network opportunities available from some of Hong Kong’s top accelerator programs.
Garage Academy is a knowledge-sharing platform with a mission to nurture the leaders of the new generation workforce through a wide curation of classes, workshops and community events rooted in innovation and emerging technologies.
FINSPIRE Hackathon
POSTPONED
Tencent Westart, 6/F, KOHO, 75 Hung To Rd, Kwun Tong
FINSPIRE Hackathon is the premier annual event of FINSPIRE where hustlers, hackers and hipsters from universities team up to ideate, design, build and pitch their fintech-inspired innovations.
During the 48 hour hackathon, participants will team up with fellow hackers, coders, engineers and designers to develop a prototype. They will get to learn from industry experts, and pitch their ideas to the judges.
Prizes include HK$100,000 in cash and prizes, entrepreneurship training by MIT HK Innovation Node, a visit at a UK fintech company, and a 12-week exclusive mentorship program.
The event will also include panel discussions, workshops and mentoring sessions by 20+ tech leaders, entrepreneurs and industry experts.
StartmeupHK Festival 2020
POSTPONED
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
The StartmeupHK Festival is coming back in February for a multi-day event aimed at celebrating the best of tech innovation. This week long festival is a unique platform for startups, entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, students and academics to exchange ideas, make connections and chart a course for the future.
The festival will feature keynotes from world-renowned speakers, interactive how-to sessions, hackathons, and valuable lessons from celebrated founders and investors in fintech, healthtech, smart city technologies, the Internet-of-Things (IoT), retail and logistics innovation, edtech and much more.
Ladies Who Tech in Action x VISA HK
POSTPONED
VISA Hong Kong Limited, 88 Queensway, Suite 1113-1119, Two Pacific Place
To kick-start 2020, Ladies Who Tech Hong Kong is partnering up with VISA for an event dedicated to navigating careers in the fintech industries.
The panel discussion will feature three female leaders in the finance industry: Maaike Steinebach, General Director Hong Kong and Macau, Visa Inc.; Jia Mao, Managing Director Engineering, Goldman Sachs; and Jessica Lam, Group Head of Strategy, WeLab.
Fintech Career Accelerator Scheme Information Day 2020
February 23, 2020
Innocentre, 72號 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, KOW
Fintech Career Accelerator Scheme (FCAS) is a gap-year internship scheme initiated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) in 2016 to nurture talents to meet the growing needs of fintech in Hong Kong.
Around 300 students from the ten local universities have been equipped through the FCAS Gap Year Program over the past three years. New internship opportunities from virtual banks will as well be offered in the 2020/21 intake of FCAS.
Students are invited to join the FCAS Information Day to touch base with representatives from 23 financial institutions to understand job requirements, duties and training opportunities. In addition to the gap-year placement, students can also learn about other programs including the Entrepreneurial Boot Camp and the Shenzhen Summer Internship.
Rising of Proptech – Disruption in Real Estate
March 21, 2020
RICS Hong Kong Office, Room 3707-09, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai
Proptech is a rapidly progressing area of technology that is beginning to develop solutions to address long-standing pain points in real estate. Technology is gradually moving the real estate industry away from a manual and paperwork-heavy process and towards a streamlined and efficient system where steps can be simplified and automated.
This training will focus on proptech that refers to businesses using technology to disrupt and improve the way we buy, rent, sell, manage, and design residential and commercial properties.
Tokenization is an application of blockchain technology that is rapidly attracting interest from the real estate market all over the world. It aims to reduce the administrative process and cost in real estate processes by leveraging blockchain technology and smart contracts.
The second part of this workshop will go beyond the buzzwords to help participants understand the value added by technology, further delving into the concept of blockchain and tokenization as applied in real estate.
Speakers will include Leo M Y Lo, Founder, Asia Proptech; and Philip Pang, Chief Commercial Officer, Liquefy.
Asia Financial Information Conference
June 9 – 10, 2020
Ritz Carlton
The Asia Financial Information Conference will bring together financial information executives from the APAC region and beyond. Delegates will learn from top speakers, engage with their peers in breakout and roundtable sessions, and build relationships through multiple networking opportunities.
Topics covered will include the benefits of fintech solutions for market data, the current state of alternative data adoption in Asia, data and online tools in wealth management, and more.
Hong Kong Blockchain Week 2020
Sept 28-30 2020
Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel, 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road
The Hong Kong Blockchain Week is the largest blockchain event in the territory where the global blockchain community converge to discuss the latest developments and insights into the evolving, real-world applications of blockchain technology.
Every year, the Hong Kong Blockchain Week delivers specialist content and expert discussions directly from industry leaders who are building the future of blockchain technology and digital assets. Professionals from all parts of the ecosystem, including investors, government, startups and enterprise come together for deep learning, robust discussions and high-impact networking.
For more information, visit here: http://bit.ly/2sqhSfO
Asia Crypto Week 2020
Oct 5 – 11, 2020
After the successful inaugural event week in October 2019, Asia Crypto Week is back again from Oct 5 – 11, 2020 with what is looking to be an action-packed program.
Asia Crypto Week is a week of various independently organized educational and developer-focused events that aim to nurture mass adoption by providing first-hand information about the industry.
Blockchain enthusiasts and industry veterans will come to Hong Kong to share their knowledge and stories during Asia Crypto Week, providing exceptional insights into the ever-larger growing ecosystem.
For more information, visit here: http://bit.ly/2TkPVRy
Hong Kong Fintech Week 2020
November 2 – 6, 2020
AsiaWorld-Expo
The annual Hong Kong Fintech Week is one of Asia’s most anticipated international financial technology event, bringing together thousands executives, entrepreneurs, investors and regulators from China, Asia and across the world.
Participants get to hear from world renowned experts in technology innovation, policy makers, top tech investors, CEOs of international tech companies, and visionary leaders in financial services industry globally.
Across eight stages, the 2020 main conference will feature 250+ founders and executives of Asia’s and the world’s fastest growing fintech companies, virtual banks and digital-only insurers, superapps, techfins, AI and blockchain pioneers, payments and lending innovators.
If you believe your fintech event should be on this list, contact us here
