Shifting Landscapes: Navigating the Next Normal

Cover Story 

Shifting Landscapes: Navigating the Next Normal

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has accelerated widespread changes in the banking and finance sector, our Cover Story focuses on Hong Kong's strengths, challenges and opportunities as an international finance and Fintech hub — topics that will be explored during the HKIB Annual Banking Conference, under the theme Reglobalisation, Sustainability and Transformation to a New Normal.

Thought Leaders

A golden opportunity for Hong Kong’s I&T industry 

From yesteryear’s ATM machines to today’s online banking service, Hong Kong’s Fintech sector has changed drastically the way money is stored and spent. In an interview with Banking Today, Alfred SIT, the Secretary for Innovation and Technology of Hong Kong, explains the government’s strategy and specific measures to promote the development of I&T in Hong Kong. The Government has also been promoting scientific collaboration between Hong Kong and the Mainland and overseas institutes.

China World

Hong Kong's Roles and Positioning in Mainland China’s Economic Development Strategies

Over the course of four decades of reform and opening up, through a range of domestic and regional reform measures, Mainland China has increasingly implemented foreign-investment friendly initiatives to expand its economic and long-term development paths. Our China World article gives an overview of recent opening-up measures and considers the role of Hong Kong in the grand scheme of Mainland China’s long-term development plan to build a prosperous and future-ready society. 

Fintech 

Fintech Centre to Foster Cross-Industry Co-Creation

Home to more to more than 600 Fintech companies and start-ups, Hong Kong is an international hub and prime location for the fast-growing Fintech sector. To help seize the momentum and accelerate cross-industry innovation, the recently opened FinTech Centre located at the Innocentre in Kowloon Tong, is designed to further strengthen Hong Kong’s Fintech ecosystem by providing a connection point for the financial industries and the technology community, a testbed for Fintech development, and a focal point to provide training to nurture future R&D talent.

Knowledge Plus

Tackling Mental Health Issues in the Workplace

As the disruptive impact of COVID-19 continues, our Knowledge Plus  article features mental health and physical wellbeing  tips and insights from experts  to help  those working in banking and finance   to cope with high levels of pressure, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

GRC Corner 

The Transformation of International Tax Architecture and the Implications for Hong Kong

After years of intense negotiations the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Group of Twenty (G20) countries have achieved a broad alignment to implement a standardised approach to international taxation, including how to tax the digital economy. While the OECD said a standardised tax approach would add “much-needed certainty and stability to the international tax system”, our GRC Corner article takes a close look at what the landmark agreement means for Hong Kong and the city's financial services industry.