Hong Kong's Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau published a recap of Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK Festival 2025, reporting record attendance and highlighting key policy and regulatory messages delivered during the conference week by authorities including the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the Insurance Authority (IA). The event ran around a two-day main conference on November 3 and 4 and concluded on November 7, attracting over 45,000 visitors from more than 120 economies. The release highlighted contributions spanning 11 themed forums and over 1,000 speakers, alongside over 800 exhibitors and more than 30 delegations. Regulatory and central bank updates included the HKMA’s “Fintech 2030” framework built around four pillars, Data and Payment Infrastructure, AI, Resilience and Tokenisation, and an observation that over three-quarters of Hong Kong’s banks are implementing or piloting AI solutions. The SFC flagged two circulars issued on November 3 that allow licensed Virtual Asset Trading Platforms to share a global order book with overseas affiliates and expand their service and product offerings across digital assets, alongside work with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau on frameworks for virtual asset dealers and custodians and plans to extend licensing to virtual asset advisory and management. The IA pointed to initiatives including its Open API Framework, Cyber Resilience Assessment Framework and AI Cohort Programme, and announced the publication of a Whitepaper on Federated Learning. Forward-looking items referenced in the recap included the SFC’s ongoing discussions with the Government on extending the licensing regime to virtual asset advisory and management, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s plan to set up an office in Hong Kong.
Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (Hong Kong) 2025-11-07
Hong Kong's Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau closes Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK Festival with record 45,000 visitors and virtual asset policy updates
The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of Hong Kong recapped the Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK Festival 2025, noting record attendance and key regulatory messages from the HKMA, SFC, and IA. The HKMA introduced its “Fintech 2030” framework, the SFC issued circulars to enhance virtual asset trading and plans to extend licensing to virtual asset advisory and management, and the IA announced initiatives like an Open API Framework and a Whitepaper on Federated Learning.