The FinTech Association of Hong Kong was officially launched last night to champion an open, inclusive and diverse FinTech community in Hong Kong.  The launch event was attended by over 300 guests from across the local FinTech, financial and wider business community.  The Association is an independent, not-for-profit, member-driven association that draws its members from across the FinTech and wider financial industry.

Hong Kong has a vibrant and growing FinTech community.  The Association will help power the further development of Hong Kong as a leading FinTech centre with three main goals:

●   Advocate – create the unified voice for the Hong Kong FinTech ecosystem

●   Collaborate – bring together the diverse parts of the community

●   Educate – learn from existing leaders and nurture the next generation of talent

The Association is organised and led by the community for the community through a series of committees.  These committees are focused on key sectors including blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, payments, RegTech and financial literacy, amongst others.  Led by volunteers from each field, the committees bring together interested parties from across Hong Kong and beyond to facilitate, mentor and educate on their subject areas.  Through their activity, the Association will create a bigger, more interconnected ecosystem to benefit the wider Hong Kong community.

The Association reflects Hong Kong’s entrepreneurial character.  By uniting the diverse elements of Hong Kong’s FinTech industry – including financial institutions, startups, academia, government, investors, corporates and accelerators – the Association will further strengthen Hong Kong's status as a FinTech hub.

Henri Arslanian, Board Member, FinTech Association of Hong Kong and FinTech & RegTech Leader for China/Hong Kong at PwC, said, “We look forward to working with the entire ecosystem, from start-ups and financial institutions to regulators and government, to drive FinTech forward not only in Hong Kong but also globally.”

Alex Medana, CEO of FinFabrik, said, “Learning, being part of the dialogue, sharing knowledge, nurturing talent, and coaching other founders are some of the reasons why we at FinFabrik are so excited to be at the start of the journey of the Hong Kong FinTech Association.”

Andrew Eldon, Head of Digital, Hong Kong, Retail Banking & Wealth Management at HSBC, said, “We are delighted to be joining the Fintech Association of Hong Kong as a founding member.  This is an important industry-led initiative and HSBC has a leading role to play in supporting Hong Kong’s continued development as a world-class FinTech hub.  Joining the Association gives us an opportunity to deepen our ties across the Fintech landscape and contribute our time, resources and thinking to continue to shape Hong Kong’s financial future.”