(From left to right) Jennifer Tan, Executive Vice-President of Ant Group's Strategy Development and Government Affairs in the GBA; Jason Pau, Senior Director of Ant Group and 10x1000 Program Lead; and King Leung, Head of Fintech of InvestHK, pose for a group photo at a press conference during Hong Kong FinTech Week on Nov 1, 2022.(PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
InvestHK announced a strategic partnership with 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion, a global fintech talent training platform, on Tuesday at Hong Kong Fintech Week to nurture local professionals and support entrepreneurship to facilitate the transformation and development of the city’s digital economy.
Jointly launched in 2018 by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and Alipay, which is part of Ant Financial Services Group, 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion is an open global fintech training platform that empowers learners to become drivers of digital economic growth.
The program has been designed to promote the development of local fintech talent, improve the quality of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), enhance female participation, and drive the development of Hong Kong’s digital economy
The program has been designed to promote the development of local fintech talent, improve the quality of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), enhance female participation, and drive the development of Hong Kong’s digital economy.
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As of last week, 160 professionals from the Hong Kong digital ecosystem had joined or completed the training program.
“Based on feedback from our fintech companies and investors, more support in cultivating our talents, especially in the middle management layer, is highly valuable to the fintech ecosystem in Hong Kong,” said King Leung, head of fintech at InvestHK.
He believes this partnership can help promote greater adoption of this impactful 10x1000 talent program among the fintech community.
Hong Kong is believed to have the potential to be a fintech leader and guide the development of fintech in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to a report jointly released by the University of Hong Kong - Standard Chartered Hong Kong FinTech Academy (HKU-SCF FinTech Academy), Cyberport and the Hong Kong Productivity Council on the same day.
Yet the city should review the room for improvement in fintech development, and enhance its competitiveness among neighboring cities, the report said.
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Fintech professionals are highly valued by many firms, with 57 percent of companies surveyed indicating they are actively recruiting fintech professionals, particularly for technology positions.
E-payment, digital money, cybersecurity, and data privacy are considered the most popular financial technology trends in the city, while big data analytics and artificial intelligence will be key technologies that transform the financial services industry in the near future, according to the report.
The study conducted in-depth interviews with 12 management-level staff of financial institutions and fintech companies in December 2021, and later interviewed more than 390 financial services companies through a questionnaire survey in May and June.
10x1000 Tech for Inclusion is committed to bringing more world-class fintech training programs and opportunities to local learners, according to Jason Pau, senior director of Ant Group and 10x1000 program lead.
Human capital is Hong Kong’s competitive advantage, Pau said. “The potential for local talents to further drive Hong Kong’s growth is tremendous in this digital era.”
