The second annual Hong Kong Fintech Week, to be held from October 23 to 27, 2017 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, will bring together Hong Kong’s regulators, along with a host of private sector partners, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to discuss the future of finance and the role of Hong Kong in the international fintech scene.

The event will focus on showcasing Hong Kong’s fintech ecosystem and highlighting the qualities the city offers to the global fintech community.

“The fintech developments we’ve seen in Hong Kong since our inaugural Fintech Week in November 2016 are phenomenal,” said Stephen Phillips, director-general of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, a department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government.

The developments reflect the dynamic nature of Hong Kong and its strategic advantages of being right at the doorstep of the Chinese mainland’s vibrant fintech scene, he said.

“The beauty of fintech in Hong Kong is that it’s an organic ecosystem largely driven by the private sector. There are about 130 fintech startups in Hong Kong, we have four fintech accelerators and the calendar is filled with more than 200 fintech-related events here.”

Last year, the inaugural Hong Kong Fintech Week attracted more than 2,500 participants and saw over 100 fintech experts share their experience and insights on fintech.

This year’s key stakeholders will include the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the Insurance Authority and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, as well as a string of leading organizations including Dianrong and Citibank, along with partners Finnovasia, NexChange, the Fintech Association of Hong Kong and more.

Speakers representing the likes of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Ant Financial, Ping An Group, Zhong An, and Dianrong, will cover key themes including startup funding, China fintech, blockchain technology, regtech, insurtech, wealthtech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, as well as Hong Kong’s local incubator and accelerator programs, and the city’s connection with Mainland China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The event will include networking sessions for fintech developers looking to grow their business in Hong Kong. Regulators, financial institutions and service providers will host “office hours,” or one-on-one sessions, to guide and mentor entrepreneurs. Training workshops will offer tips on how to succeed in the fintech business, and accelerators will hold competitions for startups.

The second annual Hong Kong Fintech Week comes at the time when the city is ramping up its support towards fintech innovation. Government agencies recently launched several sandboxes to provide incumbents and new entrants a safe environment to test new products and business models, and unveiled initiatives aimed at fostering collaboration and boosting research.

The Hong Kong Fintech Week is the first of a series of three consecutive weeks dedicated to fintech. It will be followed by the Fintech Education Week starting October 30, The Fintech Education Week will focus on fintech in education and Hong Kong’s talent pool. The week will include hackathons, job fairs, a Shenzhen visit, as well as educational tours among high schools and universities.

FinovateAsia 2017, which will take place on November 7 and 8, 2017, is one of the signature events in the Asian fintech scene. FinovateAsia 2017 will bring together the fintech community to showcase the latest developments in the banking, financial and payment spaces. The event is set to attract over 450 attendees and feature more than 35 companies.

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