Hong Kong’s green fintech ecosystem is becoming more energized, as a symposium on Friday highlighted innovative solutions from across the globe that encourage enterprises and the wider financial sector to harness technologies for a more sustainable future.

Zhao Min, chief financial officer (CFO) of the Governance Solutions Group, also known as Dingli Sustainability Data and Technology, told China Daily at the 2025 Green Fintech Symposium that accounting for and managing carbon emissions remains a complex and resource-intensive task.

The symposium showcased the practical applications of the winning solutions from the 2025 Green Fintech Competition, which was co-hosted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Hong Kong Institute of Bankers.

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As one of the five winners of the competition, Governance Solutions Group’s “Carbon-E” platform provides standardized solutions that enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to efficiently collect, manage, and analyze carbon data.

“For businesses seeking to export to overseas markets or secure green financing, compliance with diverse carbon and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) requirements is essential. However, SMEs frequently lack the capital, time, and human resources to address these challenges,” Zhao said. “They need easy tools and solutions such as Carbon-E to streamline the process and ensure compliance.”

Also among the winners was Harvest, artificial-intelligence-powered ESG reporting software by New York-based firm Dasseti. The tool, embedded with an AI assistant, transforms complex, raw ESG data into actionable insights within a short time, helping private market investors make faster and more-informed decisions.

Billy Cotter, Dasseti’s head of ESG, said his company recently opened an office in Hong Kong, as its businesses in the Asian market has grown in recent years.

Cotter said that being a Western team, they find it difficult to break into the market and comprehend the local challenges. By taking part in the competition, his team got an opportunity to have a soft landing and acquired a lot of support, which “helps us set up with office location, guidance, connections to those within the industry”, he added.

“It is something that really allows us to grow while not having to take as much of a financial risk in the first step.”

The competition this year attracted more than 140 entries from 26 jurisdictions, up 63 percent compared with the first edition, in 2023. “This remarkable response highlights the growing global interest and commitment to leveraging fintech innovations for sustainable development,” HKMA Chief Executive Eddie Yue Wai-man said at the symposium, which was the closing event of this year’s Hong Kong Green Week.

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Themed “Creating Synergies Through Finance”, the symposium also aimed to foster cross-sector partnerships, particularly bridging the banking and technology industries, in the face of global climate change.

Yue said the special administrative region’s green fintech ecosystem can shine as a model of inclusive and sustainable growth both regionally and globally.

“By nurturing partnerships across financial institutions, tech innovators, academia, and policymakers, we can accelerate innovation, scale sustainable solutions, and drive market transformation,” he added.

Contact the writer at gabylin@chinadailyhk.com