More than 3,600 global finance and business figures will attend the annual Asian Financial Forum (AFF) which is set to kick off in Hong Kong next Monday.

Chief Executive John Lee; Justin Lin, former chief economist and senior vice president of the World Bank; and Stuart Russell, co-chair of the World Economic Forum's Council on artificial intelligence will be among the speakers for the event, touching on the shifting global economic landscape and its impact on mainland China, as well as the development and governance of AI.

The theme of the 18th edition of the forum is "Powering the Next Growth Engine".

While AI is expected to be a key focus, Patrick Lau, deputy executive director of the Trade Development Council, told RTHK that the event will also explore other fields that are considered as new drivers for the city.

"We are also seeing family offices and wealth management, together with philanthropy, as another area of high growth, especially leveraging in Hong Kong's strength as an international financial centre," he said.

"Green and sustainability will continue to be very important going forward. Last but not least, we have many new friends in Asean and the Middle East, so Islamic finance is another big area [in focus] for Hong Kong."

Noting the SAR's financial markets have undergone a series of reforms, including a road map on sustainability disclosure and a policy statement on responsible application of AI in the financial markets, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui said the forum will showcase the SAR's latest financial advantages while exploring new collaborations.

Luanne Lim, chairwoman of the AFF Steering Committee and Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong, of HSBC, said despite greater uncertainties this year with increased tariff risks, Asia will continue to be the global growth engine.

The region's gross domestic product is expected to grow 4.4 percent this year, outpacing the 2.7 percent global average target.