HK pledges to fuel APAC’s digital and green transition

Hong Kong has pledged to double down on financing Asia’s green transition and digital infrastructure, leveraging its status as a global financial centre and its robust international networks to deepen regional cooperation, the city's finance chief Paul Chan revealed on Sunday.

Writing in his weekly blog, Chan highlighted that this vision will take centre stage at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers’ Meeting, hosted in Hong Kong for the first time on 20 and 21 October. Key discussions will focus on fiscal strategies to support livelihoods, digital infrastructure financing, financial inclusion, and fostering exchanges among young finance professionals.

This year marks the "APEC China Year," themed "Building an Asia-Pacific community for shared prosperity," with three primary priorities: openness, innovation, and cooperation. These pillars target stabilising public wellbeing, boosting productivity, supporting SMEs, and nurturing the next generation—demonstrating how regional cooperation directly touches businesses, citizens, and youth.

All four priorities play directly to Hong Kong’s strengths and represent key areas where the city can make significant contributions. In channeling long-term capital toward the region's low-carbon transition, for instance, total green and sustainable debt issued in Hong Kong exceeded US$76 billion in 2025, said Chan. 

Of this, green and sustainable bonds arranged in the city accounted for roughly US$38 billion—ranking first in the Asian market for eight consecutive years. While regional projects seek funding and investors demand transparency, Hong Kong serves as the ideal bridge across green bonds, transition finance, project certification, and professional services.

Digital infrastructure is another capital-intensive frontier, Chan said, adding that the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is driving massive investments in computing power, data centers, and cloud services. Given their scale and fast-moving technological cycles, these projects must balance commercial viability with fiscal sustainability.

According to Chan, Hong Kong can facilitate greater exchange and collaboration among APEC economies by connecting governments, financial institutions, investors, and tech companies across borders. By exploring public-private partnership (PPP) financing models, public resources can play a catalytic role in attracting private market capital to fuel the region’s digital economy and AI ecosystem, ultimately empowering acceleration in the real economy.

Hong Kong also continues to advance financial inclusion so that financial services benefit a broader spectrum of businesses and citizens. A prime example is the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Commercial Data Interchange (CDI), which allows SMEs to authorise banks to access their operational data from various sources. This significantly streamlines credit assessment and eases financing bottlenecks. As of the end of June, the platform had facilitated over 108,000 loan applications, with total credit approvals approaching HK$90 billion.

The final priority of the meeting centres on exchanges and cooperation among young finance professionals across the region—an effort Hong Kong actively drives. From student training and internships to professional development programmes for young practitioners, local regulators and financial institutions offer a rich array of schemes.

Through specialised talent development in green finance, asset and wealth management, and fintech, Hong Kong aims to deepen young leaders' understanding of regional markets and emerging sectors. Notably, over 150 youth volunteers are serving as ambassadors at the conference. Beyond ensuring smooth operations, these volunteers gain front-row exposure to political and business leaders, enjoying an invaluable real-world learning experience while showcasing the warmth and hospitality of Hong Kong’s youth to global guests.

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