Some international gatherings are remembered for delegates’ speeches. Others matter because of the business, partnerships and ideas they set in motion. With the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Finance Ministerial Meeting taking place in Hong Kong this week, the city has an opportunity to make it the latter. Hosting the meeting for the first time is a significant milestone. More importantly, the one-and-a-half-day event puts Hong Kong at the center of conversations about how the Asia-Pacific will finance its next phase of growth, from green transition and artificial intelligence to small-business development and the next generation of financial talent.

The city is well placed to contribute. APEC’s member economies represent more than 60 percent of global GDP, while around 87 percent of Hong Kong’s external trade involves these economies. For a city whose success has long rested on connecting markets, capital and people, the region is not simply an opportunity. It is home territory.

Hong Kong’s advantage lies in the combination of its strengths. International finance, professional services, close links with the Chinese mainland and a global outlook give the city a distinctive role in regional development. APEC offers a chance to bring these assets together around practical challenges that no single economy can address alone.

Take green finance. Asia’s transition to a lower-carbon economy will require substantial long-term investment in energy, transport and infrastructure. Hong Kong already has considerable experience in bringing capital to this agenda. Green and sustainable debt issued in the city exceeded $76 billion in 2025, including approximately $38 billion in bonds arranged here. For the eighth consecutive year, Hong Kong ranked first in Asia for green and sustainable bond arrangement. These figures represent more than a thriving financial market. They point to an opportunity for Hong Kong to help connect regional projects with global investors, strengthen confidence in sustainability standards and mobilize capital for projects with lasting economic and environmental benefits. The city can be a place where Asia’s green ambitions meet the financial expertise needed to realize them.

AI presents another opening. As businesses adopt AI, demand is growing for computing power, data centers and cloud infrastructure. Financing these investments requires not only substantial capital but also careful assessment of commercial prospects, technological risks and long-term returns. Hong Kong can bring tech firms, financial institutions and investors to the same table, exploring public-private partnerships and innovative financing arrangements. Its role needs not be to compete with tech hubs in building the most infrastructure. It can help ensure that promising innovation finds the capital and commercial partnerships needed to scale.

The same capacity for practical problem-solving is visible in inclusive finance. Small and medium-sized enterprises are essential to regional economies, yet many struggle to secure loans because lenders lack sufficient information to assess their creditworthiness.

Hong Kong’s Commercial Data Interchange offers a useful example of how digital infrastructure can help. With businesses’ authorization, banks can access operational data from different sources to assess loan applications more efficiently. By the end of June, the platform had facilitated more than 108,000 loan applications, with approved credit approaching HK$90 billion ($11.46 billion). The broader lesson is that financial innovation matters most when it improves the flow of opportunity. Hong Kong can share its experience with APEC partners, learn from solutions developed elsewhere and explore how better use of business data can help more enterprises obtain financing and grow.

There is also a compelling Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area dimension to this meeting. Shenzhen will host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, while Hong Kong welcomes the financial chiefs. Together, the two cities can offer a powerful demonstration of how different economic strengths can reinforce one another. Shenzhen has established itself as a major center for advanced manufacturing, technology and innovation. Hong Kong brings international capital markets, common law, professional services and connections with global investors. These are complementary assets, creating opportunities to link technological innovation with financing, international expansion and sophisticated risk management.

Imagine regional investors exploring Shenzhen’s tech ecosystem before meeting Hong Kong’s financiers, insurers and professional advisers to discuss how promising businesses might expand across Asia. Such collaboration could help turn the Greater Bay Area into a more effective platform for regional innovation and investment. Improved cross-border infrastructure, including the new Huanggang Port, makes movement between the two cities increasingly convenient. The next opportunity is to build equally strong connections between their businesses, institutions and capital markets.

Hong Kong has long been described as a superconnector. It can build on that role to become a superpartner, helping bring together Shenzhen’s technology, Hong Kong’s financial expertise, and capital from across the Asia-Pacific region. The value lies not simply in linking economies, but in helping them create opportunities together. The benefits should extend to young people as well. More than 150 young volunteers have supported the finance ministerial meeting, gaining firsthand exposure to international business and policymaking. Their participation is a reminder that regional cooperation is ultimately built through relationships between people, not just agreements between institutions.

Universities, financial institutions and business organizations can extend this experience through internships, professional exchanges and collaborative programs with APEC partners. Such initiatives would help young people build regional networks while strengthening Hong Kong’s connections with the next generation of business leaders.

The meeting’s significance lies in what those discussions make possible. New investment partnerships, stronger green-finance networks, better access to credit and closer cooperation among Hong Kong, Shenzhen and regional economies would all be meaningful outcomes. These possibilities are within reach if public institutions and businesses work together before, during and after the meeting. The foundations are already here. APEC provides a timely reason to connect them more closely and explore what they can achieve together.

Hong Kong’s international character is reflected in the city’s ability to bring different markets, ideas and people together. As the Asia-Pacific navigates profound economic and technological change, that ability remains valuable. The APEC Finance Ministerial Meeting gives Hong Kong a platform to demonstrate it once again. More than hosting regional dialogue, the city can help turn dialogue into partnerships that support growth across Asia for years to come.

The author is chairman of the Asia MarTech Society and sits on the advisory boards of several professional organizations, including two universities.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.