Asia’s premier gathering of finance and investment leaders—the Asian Financial Forum (AFF)—will be held on 26 and 27 January at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Co-organised by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the forum marks the first major event of 2026 and serves as a flagship platform for the region’s finance industry.
Over a hundred business and political leaders, along with financial experts, will speak at the conference. Under the theme Co-creating New Horizons Amid an Evolving Landscape, sessions will examine geopolitical shifts and macroeconomic trends, while presenting the latest insights from industry players on financial markets and emerging investment opportunities.
For the first time, the event agenda will feature the Global Business Summit on 27 January, 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.
The summit will highlight high-impact themes including artificial intelligence and technology, evolving consumer trends, biomedicine, healthcare and green energy. Industry leaders will provide in-depth insights into how finance impacts the real economy.
Commenting the inaugural Global Business Summit, HKTDC Chairman Prof Frederick Ma said: “This new initiative expands the conversation beyond financial topics to the core of the real economy, aiming to unlock the potential of high value industries and drive a wave of innovation for stronger economic growth. The two-day forum will gather more than 100 global political and business leaders to share insights, while also featuring the AFF Deal-making to foster more substantive collaborations.”
Prof Ma related that over the past 18 years, the Asian Financial Forum has brought together over a thousand speakers and attracted some 60,000 participants, along the way becoming firmly established as a flagship financial event on the regional and global stage. He added the forum reinforces Hong Kong’s role as a superconnector and super value-adder, further consolidating the city’s position as an international financial centre.
The two-day agenda will feature a busy line-up of discussion panels, keynote speeches, thematic luncheons and breakfast sessions. Session themes include the Global Economic Outlook, CIO Insights, Asset & Wealth Management, Trade Finance and Supply Chain Management, and Gold Exchange.
These sessions will explore global economic trends, economic forecasts and other timely issues. Financial and business leaders will assess the new economic landscape, discussing key topics such as macroeconomic trends, the investment outlook, retirement and endowment funds, financial technology and more.
A key element of the forum is the investment-matching platform AFF Deal-making, which connects project owners, private equity firms, investors, high-net-worth individuals, intermediaries and professional service providers.
Co-organised with the Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, to date AFF Deal-making has engaged more than 8,000 companies and facilitated over 10,000 meetings.
This year, AFF Deal Making will adopt a hybrid format, starting with in-person sessions on 26 and 27 January, followed by two additional days of online networking until 29 January.
Over 140 exhibitors, including Bank of China (Hong Kong), CICC, EY, HSBC, Huatai International and Standard Chartered, will showcase their latest financial solutions and applications in the exhibition zone.
Maggie Ng, Chairperson of the AFF Steering Committee and HSBC Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Officer and Head of Retail Banking and Wealth, noted this year’s organisers expect to welcome over 3,600 participants from 60 countries and regions.
“Delegates will engage directly with industry leaders driving transformation across technology, consumer, healthcare and finance sectors, while exploring Hong Kong’s latest advancements in key areas,” she said.