Global policymakers and leaders from finance, industry and business will gather at next week’s Asian Financial Forum (AFF) to examine the forces reshaping the world economy, from gold-market developments and regulatory shifts to the rise of high‑growth industries.
In one plenary session, senior government officials and leaders of international financial institutions will analyse the macro-economic landscape.
Speakers include Zou Jiayi, the newly appointed President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; Scott Morris, the Asian Development Bank’s Vice-President for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific; Mehmet Şimşek, Türkiye’s Minister of Treasury and Finance; and Klemen Boštjančič, Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
In another plenary session, high-ranking representatives from regulators, central banks and financial services companies will provide insights on the latest monetary policies and regulatory directions.
Speakers in this session include H.E. Waleed Saeed Abdul Salam Al Awadhi, CEO of Securities and Commodities Authority for the United Arab Emirates; Burkhard Balz, Member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank; Rhee Chang-yong, Governor of the Bank of Korea; Gokul Laroia, Asia CEO of Morgan Stanley; and Benjamin Hung, Chairman of Hong Kong’s Financial Services Development Council.
During AFF’s keynote luncheons, two heavyweight speakers – José Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission, former Prime Minister of Portugal and current Chairman of Goldman Sachs International Advisory Board, and Paul Polman, the renowned business leader, investor and philanthropist – will review the global economy and macro-level challenges, as well as the links between systemic change, climate action and social equality, respectively.
Spotlights on gold and high-growth sectors
As demand for gold as a safe-haven asset continues to rise, the gold market will be another major focus area this year.
The spotlight on gold coincides with government plans to reinforce Hong Kong’s role as an international gold trading hub, further heightening interest in market opportunities and potential collaborations.
AFF will host an MoU on gold market development as well as a separate discussion on gold exchange, while providing an update on the construction of an international gold trading centre in Hong Kong.
These initiatives will help showcase Hong Kong’s advantages and immense potential as a gold market, noted Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury for the Hong Kong SAR Government.
Meanwhile, a new Global Business Summit, which is taking place as part of AFF, will examine how high-growth sectors – including AI, biomedicine, green energy and more – can leverage financial services to drive innovation and long-term growth.
The summit will also address opportunities for mainland enterprises to go global and for international enterprises to set up and expand in the Chinese Mainland.
It has been co-organised by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the HKTDC, and the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasised the importance of financial services in enhancing the capacity of the real economy, pointed out Patrick Lau, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).
By fostering deeper integration between the financial sector and high-value industries, the Global Business Summit aims to generate a strong multiplier effect that transforms capital into significant economic growth and drives industrial upgrading, he added.
Other topics on AFF’s agenda this year include asset and wealth management, supply chains and trade finance, family offices, fintech, pensions and much more.
More than 140 officials, business leaders and financial experts have been lined up as speakers. The forum is expected to attract more than 3,600 participants from over 60 countries and regions.
AFF 2026, which has been coorganised by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the HKTDC, is taking place on 26-27 January at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.