15th Asian Financial Forum attracts 63,000+ views
2022年1月12日 - 8:00PM
JCN Newswire
A highlight event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the 15th Asian
Financial Forum (AFF), organised by the Government of the HKSAR and
the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), came to a
successful conclusion yesterday (11 January). Running on the theme
"Navigating the Next Normal towards a Sustainable Future", the
online-only AFF 2022 featured real-time polls to gauge the views of
participants on a spectrum of topics, including the global economic
outlook, environmental, social and governance (ESG), climate risks
and green investment trends. This year, over 700 one-on-one
matchmaking meetings between investors and project owners have been
arranged in the three-day AFF Deal Flow Matchmaking Session. As of
11 January, the AFF virtual platform had seen more than 63,000
views from 80 countries and regions.
Delivering his remarks on the second morning of AFF 2022, Paul
Chan, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR, noted the tremendous
opportunities for Hong Kong's financial market created by Mainland
China's continued development. "The national 14th Five-Year Plan
sets out the long-range objectives of the country through the year
2035, and strategically affirms the role and positioning of Hong
Kong in the overall development of our country, presenting
opportunities in various areas of importance. Of all the specific
roles for Hong Kong that have been reaffirmed or established, the
one of particular relevance to us on this occasion is Hong Kong's
continued expansion as an international financial centre,
encompassing the strengthening of our status as a global offshore
renminbi business hub as well as an international asset management
and risk management business centre," Mr Chan said.
43% of poll respondents optimistic on global economy; 33% say lack
of unified ESG standards as top challenge of businesses
Online polls have been conducted during the AFF to gauge
participants' views on a range of issues including the global
economic outlook and ESG. It found that 43% of respondents were
optimistic about the outlook for the global economy in 2022 - a
significant increase from 32% in the poll at AFF 2021 - while 33%
of respondents had a neutral view and 24% expressed pessimism. The
results indicate a generally more positive sentiment towards
economic prospects in 2022.
When asked about the most significant barrier preventing their
companies from implementing more ESG-friendly policies, 33% pointed
to the lack of unified, easily understandable ESG standards and 22%
cited the difficulty in balancing ESG practices and business goals.
As for the sectors with the most opportunities for green investment
in Asia, 45% identified green energy, followed by real estate and
construction (16%), transportation infrastructure (14%) and
agriculture and food (14%).
Pulse survey says neglecting ESG will lose business opportunities
and clients
PwC and the HKTDC jointly presented a pulse survey, "ESG Investing:
Challenges and Opportunities for Hong Kong", during AFF 2022.
Speaking at the forum, Elton Yeung, Vice Chairman of PwC China,
said the survey indicated that more than half of the respondents
believed that neglecting ESG factors could affect organisations'
ability to attract business opportunities and retain clients.
Nearly 40% said it could affect their organisation's reputation and
the sustainability of their operations in the long run.
The report also pointed out that the involvement of boards and
executive directors in ESG matters is effective in encouraging
companies to move towards sustainability. The green bond market and
unified carbon emissions trading market in the Guangdong-Hong
Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area provides significant opportunities for
the development of ESG investing in Hong Kong. However, respondents
said they see the lack of a homogenous framework or standardised
guidelines for measuring ESG factors as a challenge to implementing
ESG practices and measures, corresponding with the result of the
AFF online poll.
Heavyweight speakers share views on a range of topics
Several keynote speeches were featured at AFF 2022, including an
address by Mark Carney, United Nations Special Envoy on Climate
Action and Finance. Mr Carney shared his insights on how to build a
sustainable financial system as a way of mitigating the liability
and transitional threats posed by climate change. He said that
governments need to step up with "ambitious, credible and
predictable" policies that match their pledges. "Very importantly,
countries are encouraged to enact 'deep decarbonisation' policies
such as the phase-out of internal combustion engine vehicles by
2030 and legislate carbon pricing to deliver certainty. This is
about giving greater certainty to investors and businesses, so they
can pull forward with investment, smooth adjustments and drive jobs
and growth upwards while they force emissions downwards. Finance is
stepping up, the system is being changed, and there are enormous
opportunities now for countries and companies, from affordable
green power to zero-emission steel to low-carbon hydrogen and
beyond. The financial sector has moved from being a mirror that
reflects a world that hasn't been doing nearly enough to becoming a
window through which ambitious climate action can deliver a
sustainable future."
Another distinguished keynote speaker was Jean-Claude Trichet,
Former President of the European Central Bank. He noted that the
financial industry, regulators and policymakers should step up
their concerted efforts when it comes to addressing key issues
related to monetary stability in times of uncertainty.
"[Macroprudential regulations] are more important than ever. We
have to be very careful with regard to these buffers,
countercyclical buffers, the systemic risk buffers, et cetera. We
have to be very attentive to the loan-to-deposit ratio, to all
these kinds of macroprudentials that are of extraordinary
importance. It's clear that the advanced economies have to be
particularly cautious today and particularly attentive to their
risks. Because if all that turns out to be a hard landing, every
country in the world will pay a very high price for that. And, as
always, the least developed, the poorest, the developing economies
- they will have the most difficulty," said Mr Trichet.
Looking at the financial world from a different angle, Michael
Milken, Chairman, Milken Institute, shared on the positive changes
that his philanthropic work has created for communities, "There is
no substitute for continued investments in education. One of the
things we learnt from COVID is that we need to provide knowledge
and education, as it relates to the environment, to nutrition, and
to the promise of science. Just developing new technologies and new
techniques that are effective, COVID has shown us it's not enough.
We have to make sure that it is communicated so the billions of
people on the planet can fully understand and have access to these
technologies."
Tian Guoli, Chairman, Executive Director, China Construction Bank,
said: "In 2022, Asia will likely become a force to boost the
development of sustainable development in a world full of
uncertainties. Hong Kong will certainly play a more crucial role as
an international financial centre."
Ju Weimin, Vice Chairman, President & CIO, China Investment
Corporation, a sovereign wealth fund, offered his analysis of the
current macro investment trends in Asia and China, noting that
sovereign wealth funds are a key source of global investment
capital. "They have been the key players in developing the global
financial market; they have grown rapidly and are making a bigger
impact on the international market and capital flow. Especially
since the global financial crisis, the total size of the sovereign
wealth funds worldwide has doubled and is approaching the global
size of alternative investment," Mr Ju said.
Addressing the outlook for cryptocurrencies and blockchain, Sam
Bankman-Fried, Founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.com,
said: "One of the big goals of crypto is to be able to build an
ecosystem where there is financial inclusiveness, where anyone can
get equitable access to the financial markets. When you look at
traditional markets, you just don't see that ease of access. For
some reason in crypto, the exchanges seem to play a very central
role, whereas in the rest of the financial ecosystem they played a
relevant role but a less central one. That is one big thing that
really changes people's minds on ecosystems as they walk through
it."
Bestselling author and Founder and Executive Chairman of Moven
Brett King, also widely known as the "Godfather of Fintech",
offered his perspectives on how the emergence of innovative fintech
solutions presents both an opportunity and a challenge to the
banking and financial industries. "The first use of central bank
digital currencies (CBDCs) en masse will probably be the Beijing
Winter Olympics this year, where we see the CBDCs incorporated into
the mobile wallet for the games. This is the first major evolution
of money that we have seen since we moved from coins to paper
banknotes. In a historical perspective, what we see right now with
the creation of CBDCs and cryptocurrencies is an incredible point
of change for humanity with respect to the design and intelligence
of money," Mr King said.
Over 700 meetings in AFF Deal Flow in three days
In response to high investment demand, this year's AFF Deal Flow
Matchmaking Session, co-organised by the HKTDC and the Hong Kong
Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, is extended by a
day and held over three days from 10 to 12 January. The AFF Deal
Flow has facilitated collaboration between project owners,
potential business partners and investors by arranging over 700
one-on-one meetings and connecting capital with investment projects
from around the world. Over 720 projects in the AFF Deal Flow
Matchmaking Session covered a wide spectrum of sectors, including
fintech, healthtech, deep tech, consumer goods, infrastructure and
real estate, environment, energy and environmental technology. More
than 230 of the projects were ESG-integrated to meet the related
needs of investors.
AFF online platform runs to mid-March, showcasing technologies from
130+ exhibitors
Video playback of all the sessions and virtual exhibitions from AFF
2022 will be available through the event's online platform until 11
March 2022. Participants can enjoy round-the-clock access to 60
keynote speeches and panel discussions as well the exhibitions of
more than 130 local and international financial institutions, tech
companies, start-ups and investment agencies, showcasing a plethora
of advanced financial technologies and unmissable investment
opportunities.
Overview of participants' responses in AFF 2022 polls
1. What is your outlook for the global economy in 2022?
Optimistic 43%
Neutral 33%
Pessimistic 24%
2. In which sector do you see the most opportunities for green
investment in Asia?
Green energy 45%
Transportation infrastructure 14%
Water and waste treatment 9%
Reforestation 2%
Real estate and construction 16%
Agriculture and food 14%
3. What is the most significant barrier preventing your
company/institution from implementing more ESG-friendly
policies?
The difficulty in balancing ESG practices and business goals
22%
Lack of ESG understanding among key personnel 16%
Lack of unified, easily understandable ESG standards 33%
Poor data quality and consistency in terms of ESG performance
evaluation 14%
Lack of commitment to ESG practices among senior management 6%
Insufficient government support 9%
Websites
- Asian Financial Forum:
https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/aff/en/
- AFF programme:
https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/aff/en/programme/programme
- AFF speakers:
https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/aff/en/speaker/main
- Photo download: https://bit.ly/3HRXNQo
Media enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs
Department:
Janet Chan, Tel: +852 2584 4369, Email: janet.ch.chan@hktdc.org
Clayton Lauw, Tel: +852 2584 4472, Email:
clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.org
Agnes Wat, Tel: +852 2584 4554, Email: agnes.ky.wat@hktdc.org
About HKTDC
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body
established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's
trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China,
the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and
business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions,
conferences and business missions to create business opportunities
for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also
provides up-to-date market insights and product information via
research reports and digital news channels. For more information,
please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc
and LinkedIn
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