14 h. ago Hong Kong’s stablecoin law opens floodgates for boom in digital assets: brokers

Hong Kong has surged ahead of its global rivals with its landmark stablecoin law, setting the stage for a boom in digital assets and an injection of fresh liquidity into the market, according to brokers. “We’re seeing a significant trend in investments related to stablecoins on our platform, which highlights the growing importance of this sector,” said Daniel Tse, managing director of Futu Securities International, Hong Kong’s largest online brokerage firm, in a written interview on...

Events

33 h. ago A star is born as Hong Kong pianist wins Van Cliburn competition

Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham Ching-tao has won the 2025 edition of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, putting him on track for global stardom. Sham, 29, is the first pianist from Hong Kong to win the competition, held in Fort Worth in the US state of Texas. The announcement on June 7 of his victory followed two-and-a-half weeks of intense anticipation as music lovers around the world followed live streams of the contest’s four gruelling rounds, which began on May 21...

Events

52 h. ago Hong Kong’s mediation centre could help solve territorial, sovereignty disputes

Hong Kong’s new global mediation centre can help resolve territorial or sovereignty disputes if participants are willing to come to the table, the city’s justice minister has said. Last month, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi presided over a landmark signing ceremony for the establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) in the city. Thirty-three countries signed the agreement, with most coming from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. In a televised interview...

Politics

60 h. ago Step aside Shanghai, Hong Kong is China’s prize financial hub

When Yan Jun was looking around last year for a stock market to raise capital for his Beijing-based traffic-control software company, the engineer and chairman thought he was spoiled for choice. He could sell shares of his 10-year-old company AICT on one of the three mainland exchanges – Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen – that together make up the world’s second-biggest capital market, with a combined value of US$10 trillion, according to Bloomberg data. Or he could raise capital offshore by...

Politics

3 d. ago After CATL’s spark, China’s EV players bank on Hong Kong IPOs for growth funds

More than a dozen smart mobility companies from mainland China are making a beeline to raise funds in Hong Kong, capitalising on the growing appetite among global investors for the country’s unpolished industrial gems. The prospective initial public offerings (IPOs) from electric vehicle (EV) assemblers like Chery Automobile and Seres Group to autonomous driving technology providers such as Pony.ai are expected to enhance China’s leading automotive technologies on the global stage, bankers and...

Economics

4 d. ago Chinese app firm Newborn Town sets up in Hong Kong for AI, global push

Hong Kong-listed Chinese app company Newborn Town will open a global headquarters and set up an artificial intelligence (AI) research centre in Hong Kong as a pivotal step in its overseas expansion strategy. “The landing of the global headquarters in Hong Kong marks a new stage in the company’s globalisation strategy and an important milestone of our company’s development,” said chairman Liu Chunhe at an opening ceremony in Hong Kong on Thursday. Newborn Town said it would focus on developing AI...

Politics

6 d. ago 2 global conferences to make Hong Kong debut this month: John Lee

Two international conferences will be held in Hong Kong for the first time this month, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has revealed, pledging authorities will continue to attract more events to bring in high-end tourists and enhance the city’s global network. The city leader said on Tuesday that several international conferences had made their Hong Kong debuts over the past three years, and two more important events would follow this month. They are the International Science, Technology and...

Politics

8 d. ago ‘Credible’ new global mediation body will draw investors to Hong Kong: Paul Chan

The new International Organisation for Mediation launched in Hong Kong will be an efficient, fair and credible mechanism for dispute resolution and attract investors from the Global South as the economy shifts towards these developing countries, the city’s finance minister has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday the inauguration of the China-led body on Friday established Hong Kong’s role as the global legal and mediation centre for the Asia-Pacific region. “An efficient,...

Economics

9 d. ago Hong Kong hits a high with global legal body, but now comes the hard part

Hong Kong made a groundbreaking move on Friday when it became the headquarters for a new intergovernmental mediation body but the unit’s real tests will be in the types of substantive cases it handles and whether more countries will join the convention, experts have said. While the China-led International Organisation for Mediation launched on Friday with 33 signatories, and the conspicuous absence of major Western countries, leading lawyers said they expected more nations would join once the...

Events

1 week ago Wang Yi Urges Global Dialog as China Backs Hong Kong for Mediation Hub

Wang Yi Urges Global Dialog as China Backs Hong Kong for Mediation Hub  Bloomberg.com

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong’s global legal ambitions get a boost with a new world body

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to attend a signing ceremony in Hong Kong on Friday morning to mark the establishment of the world’s first intergovernmental legal body focused on mediation. Police have deployed about 100 officers, including some from their counterterrorism unit, for the event. High-level representatives from nearly 60 countries and about 20 global organisations will attend the ceremony at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Wan Chai. Renovation works are being carried out at the...

Politics

1 week ago Changing mindsets: global legal body set up in Hong Kong – as it happened

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a signing ceremony in Hong Kong on Friday morning to mark the establishment of the world’s first intergovernmental legal body focused on mediation. Police deployed about 100 officers, including some from their counterterrorism unit, for the event....

Politics

1 week ago ‘Rising star’ to shine with Hong Kong: global legal body set up – as it happened

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a signing ceremony in Hong Kong on Friday morning to mark the establishment of the world’s first intergovernmental legal body focused on mediation. Police deployed about 100 officers, including some from their counterterrorism unit, for the event....

Politics

1 week ago Why Hong Kong is home to new global mediation body and how it will work

Hong Kong will host the world’s first international legal organisation dedicated to mediation, with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi arriving in the city on Thursday to attend the signing ceremony the next day for the body’s inauguration. Experts told the Post that the establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation would bolster Hong Kong’s status as a dispute resolution hub, enabling the city to handle disagreements between states, as well as those between investors and...

Politics

1 week ago Moody’s and S&P Global keep ‘Aa3’ and ‘AA+’ credit ratings for Hong Kong

Moody’s and S&P Global have maintained their “Aa3” and “AA+” credit ratings for Hong Kong, with the former upgrading the outlook from “negative” to “stable”. Their grades on Tuesday came after Fitch maintained its “AA-” credit rating and “stable” outlook for Hong Kong last week. Both Moody’s and S&P cited the city’s substantial fiscal buffers and foreign exchange reserves, strong external balance sheet and high per capita income levels. Moody also pointed to the resilience of the city’s economy...

Politics

1 week ago New global mediation centre to put Hong Kong on par with The Hague: John Lee

The set-up of a global mediation centre in Hong Kong will catapult the city to an international arbitration stage, enhance its influence and bring in economic benefits, the chief executive has said. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu made his remarks on Tuesday, ahead of the high-profile visit of Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi for the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation on May 30. He said the new body would put Hong Kong on par with The...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong’s global mediation centre ‘to be on par with top courts at The Hague’

The set-up of a global mediation centre in Hong Kong will catapult the city to the international arbitration stage, enhance its influence and bring in economic benefits, the chief executive has said. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu shared his outlook just days before Chinese diplomat Wang Yi’s arrival in the city for the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation. Speaking to reporters ahead of his meeting with the Executive Council on...

Events

1 week ago Hong Kong embraces data trading as economic engine, finance chief says

Hong Kong is ramping up efforts to become an international data-trading hub by forging ties with mainland China and Southeast Asia, as cross-border data sharing is a new engine of an AI-driven economy that will benefit people and businesses, said Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po. “We are also committed to opening and sharing data that the private sector and academia can use,” Chan said on Tuesday at the inaugural International Data Industry Alliance (IDIA) Global Summit in Hong Kong. The...

Economics

2 w. ago Hong Kong can ‘safeguard global health’ by resisting isolationism: leaders

Hong Kong can help safeguard global health through international collaboration at a time when geopolitical tensions are intensifying and protectionism sweeps the world like a contagion, top officials from the city and mainland China have said. At the two-day Asia Summit on Global Health that began on Monday, Hong Kong’s health minister also vowed to turn the city’s third medical school into a new powerhouse of innovation. Delivering an opening speech at the conference attended by over 2,800...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s advanced chest pain centre standards to go global through Hong Kong

Beijing, meanwhile, pledges to support Hong Kong in providing healthcare services to world amid rising unilateralism.

Politics