Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui said Hong Kong's resilience amid global uncertainty is not forged overnight, but anchored in professional integrity, regulatory rigour and long-term vision — principles that underpin the city's inaugural five-year plan due for release next month.

Speaking on a radio programme on Sunday, Hui said that the roadmap is crucial not only for showing citizens the future direction, but also for helping enterprises seize market opportunities.

He said the strategy would sharpen the SAR's traditional edges in financing, risk management and asset management, while ensuring the sector's growth ripples out to the wider economy.

But the real pivot, he suggested, lies in commodities — a corner of the market long overshadowed by stocks and bonds, yet brimming with untapped potential.

To achieve this, Hui pointed to a shifting global order, where investors are scrambling for diversification amid geopolitical friction, while artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are quietly rewriting the rulebook for financial services.

"What we have done so far is to ensure Hong Kong can leverage our advantages under 'one country, two systems' and to ensure that we continue to be a relevant, trusted and also at the same time, stable and safe investment hub for all this capital that is willing and ready to put into Hong Kong," he said to reporters after the programme.

Beyond traditional equities and bonds, Hui said the government is also diversifying its service offerings. He cited the pilot operation of a new gold clearing house and plans to establish a bond trading platform as key moves to broaden the city’s financial base.

"All these are part and parcel of our overall strategy to continue enhancing our role as an international financial centre and to make Hong Kong continuously relevant in this changing era," he said.

Hui noted that the global investment climate has fundamentally shifted from profit maximisation to risk minimisation.

While investors once focused primarily on maximising returns, he argued that stability and predictability are now paramount.

Hong Kong's safety and order, he added, make it uniquely positioned to meet this growing demand — and that, he suggested, is the city's enduring edge.



Edited by Robert Kemp