Developed economies have achieved an uneven pace of recovery since the global financial crisis, while developing economies are becoming an increasingly powerful force in international commerce, trade and finance. Burgeoning economic and financial clout notwithstanding, reconstitution of the dynamic between Asia and the developed economies remains an unfulfilled task given structural problems affecting various economies across the world. This session will examine the prospects for long-term, sustainable growth in Asia and beyond against the backdrop of a tentative global recovery and evolving financial sector regulations.

Improving growth and enhancing financial stability are two top priorities of policy makers in the aftermath of the recent financial crises in the advanced economies. Global regulators have put in place comprehensive reforms to revamp banking regulations and to end the too-big-to-fail problem. While the reform measures will help enhance the resilience of the financial system and rebuild confidence that are pivotal to long-term economic growth, tightened banking regulations could restrain lending and dampen growth at least in the near term. Given the current slow economic recovery, how can we achieve the twin objectives of improving banking stability and promoting growth at the same time? On the fiscal front, consolidation is much needed in many countries to bring the government budget back to a long-term sustainable path. How can we balance the need for fiscal reform and supporting growth at the current juncture?

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Last year marked a continuation of the generally sluggish recovery from the financial crisis, with spotty performances by developed and developing economies alike – highlighting the difficulties in expediting sustained global growth while attempting to mitigate medium-term stagnation risk. This keynote will look at the prospects for global growth in 2015 and the need to reinforce inter-regional connections through trade and investment liberalisation.

The uneven economic performances of both developed and emerging markets in the wake of the financial crisis have renewed a focus on the viability of long-term investing. This session will delve into whether return on investment is becoming increasingly market-specific and whether long-term investors can avoid being spooked by unanticipated volatilities during a fragile recovery and ineffectual expansionary measures.

After decades of unstoppable expansion that has catapulted China to the status of the world’s second-largest economy, the government is shifting its focus to the quality of growth. To this end, it is nurturing new economic drivers such as domestic consumption and urbanisation, while also accelerating financial reforms and introducing pilot projects like the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. This panel will assess the economic shifts in China along with the opportunities they present and the challenges for sustainable national growth.

As the centre of economic gravity continues to shift towards Asia, the presence of Western businesses increases, while more enterprises in the region aspire to expand their international footprint. This panel will discuss the challenges facing both international investors in Asia and Asian enterprises seeking global success and recognition.

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Hong Kong is the gateway to 4.32 million high net worth individuals (HNWIs) in Asia Pacific, the region with almost one-third of HNWIs in the world. The accumulation of wealth and foreign exchange reserves in Mainland China and in many parts of Asia has generated strong demand for world-class asset management services in the region. With combined fund management business of over US$2 trillion, Hong Kong is at the top of the league in Asia.

In this session, distinguished speakers from different parts of the asset and wealth management value chain will discuss how Hong Kong is the ideal platform for funds to explore investment opportunities in the region and manage Asian capital, along with the advantages that investors and corporations can gain by diversifying their investment portfolio through the Hong Kong platform.

Against the backdrop of an ageing and increasingly affluent society, investment in the different healthcare sub-sectors – from pharmaceuticals and medical devices to hospitals and insurance – will inevitably provide varied returns. This panel will look at investment risks and opportunities in the healthcare sector across different markets.

Internet Finance: Cross-sector Development, Integration and Prospect

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Internet Finance in China, which has aroused international concern, is penetrating every aspect of the nation’s financial industry, including mobile payments, online financing and the emergence of innovative financial products. The rapid growth of internet finance, as an important force to China’s financial reform, is reshaping the future of China’s financial infrastructure. The workshop will discuss the cross-sector development and integration of China’s traditional financial sector and internet financial sector, the possible supervision policies, and the prospect of internet finance in 2015.

China, ASEAN and the New Silk Road – Global Financial Perspectives

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China has initiated several strategic initiatives to boost investments and economy in Asia such as the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, the “One Belt, One Road” and the “Silk Road Fund”. These initiatives will reconnect strategic natural and economic resources and markets across Asia and Europe. In the meantime, the ASEAN Economy Community (AEC) will lift regional barriers for trade and investment among its member countries in 2015, which will create a 600 million population common market. With these improved connectivity and massive flows of capital, people and developments, what are the implications for the Chinese, ASEAN and the global economies? How would these initiatives reshape global economic gravity? What are the opportunities and challenges for Hong Kong and the greater Pearl River Delta?

RMB Internationalisation: Opportunities in Investment and Financing

Organised by:
Financial Services and Treasury Bureau, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
Hong Kong Trade Development Council

The internationalisation of the RMB is fast changing the global financial landscape, and ushering in an era of new investment and financing opportunities. Recent developments – including the launch of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect and further allocation of RQFII quotas - mean investors now have an unprecedented level of access to the onshore market and to products offering Mainland exposures. At the same time, options for RMB financing are also developing and institutions are making good use of the dim-sum bond market and other non-capital market channels to fund their activities both onshore and offshore. In this session, a panel of industry experts will explore these developments in depth and discuss how corporates and financial institutions can effectively capture the opportunities of this new era.

The Year Ahead: Investment Themes for the Private Investor in a Diverging World

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In 2014 the US Federal Reserve tapered its third quantitative easing program to a conclusion, while the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan reinforced their easing measures. Investors are currently living in a diverging world: across markets, economic growth is uneven and monetary policies are taking different paths. Meanwhile, many commodities are trading into their cost of supply curves, while decelerating demand growth from emerging Asia will remain a headwind. Our speakers from the Chief Investment Office will share their thoughts on some of the biggest questions about investing in Asia and globally in 2015, and what they mean for investors' portfolios.

Opportunities and Challenges on Urbanisation in China

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China’s urbanisation is at a historical juncture as a recent Central Urbanisation Work Conference pointed out that urbanisation is the vital core strategy through which China’s economy and society will achieve continued, healthy and sustainable development. This thematic session will examine the opportunities and challenges arising from China’s current urbanisation programme; the role played by China’s real property sector in this programme and considerations on the development of the real property sector; as well as the path towards sustainable development of China’s urbanisation.

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The global economy appears to be on a slightly firmer footing entering 2015, with the US seen as the most resilient among developed economies, given its subdued inflation, low interest rates and improving employment and asset prices. Yet there remains persistent concern that the withdrawal of monetary stimulus could pose a substantial risk to market stability and hurt other economies during an uneven global recovery. Professor Paul Krugman will examine this issue and others, such as whether higher consumption in developing economies and expanding global trade can deliver sustained growth.

The New Wave of International Financial Institutions

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Reflecting its growing financial prowess, China is driving the formation of a new wave of international financial institutions, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank. How will these new institutions compare to, compete with and complement existing ones like the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank? And how will those in turn adapt to the new arrivals? This workshop will explore the level of the new institutions’ support in Asia and how they might help the region.

Trends and Strategies of Chinese Enterprises Overseas Investment and Financing

Organised by
All-China Federation of Industry & Commerce
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
Hong Kong China Chamber of Commerce

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Staying Ahead of the Pack in Financial Services in the Age of the Internet of Things

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When by 2020 there are 40 times the level of connectivity between things what will be the impact on financial services? A year in digital technology development is a long time, and it is estimated that by 2020, there could be as many as 30 billion devices embedded and/or wearable, and wirelessly connected to the Internet of Things, transforming the way we live.

Digital technologies are inexorably opening up the global financial services industry to more and more entrants from different and previously unrelated fields. The past decade has seen an accelerating trend of start-up firms with digital business models emerging as new financial services players, and a number of technology and e-commerce services providers among them.

Staying ahead of the pack means not just keeping up with digital technology, but leading its deployment to disrupt and cut through the field of known and as yet unknown competitors. The potential for positive and negative disruption is far greater for participants in the Asian markets, given the region's high economic growth rates, economic and social diversity, varying stages of financial sophistication, increasing penetration of technology innovations and separate regulatory regimes.

Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect

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Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect marks the first time international investors will be able to directly access China's biggest stock market in Shanghai, and only through HKEx. It's a significant breakthrough in the opening of China's capital market, giving investors a wide range of new investment possibilities.

The workshop will focus on Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect’s overall strategic impact on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets from a global investor perspective and its future development. HKEx Chief Executive Charles Li will be sharing his views on the programme and Huang Hongyuan, President of the Shanghai Stock Exchange will speak about the impact on Shanghai and China’s capital market. A panel led by Romnesh Lamba, Co-head of the Global Markets Division at HKEx, will provide an in-depth discussion on key issues related to the programme.