FS meets ECB President in Frankfurt

Financial Secretary Paul Chan proceeded to Frankfurt from Berlin yesterday to call on European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Deutsche Bank President James von Moltke.

Mr Chan briefed Madame Lagarde on the latest economic and financial market developments in Hong Kong, and shared with her his observations from visiting Europe.

Mr Chan also said China is committed to implementing the “one country, two systems” principle in Hong Kong, adding that Hong Kong’s common law system, rule of law, linked exchange rate system and free flows of capital, information, people and goods, have all been maintained.

In addition, he explained, Hong Kong is dedicated to promoting a more vibrant financial market, deepening connectivity with financial markets in the Mainland, attracting more international enterprises to utilise the city’s fundraising platforms and developing its offshore renminbi business.

These policies will continue to enhance Hong Kong’s status and unique function as an international financial centre, he added.

Mr Chan and Madame Lagarde also exchanged views on the economic situation and trends in the Mainland, Asia, Europe and the world.

The Financial Secretary then visited Deutsche Bank and met its President and Chief Financial Officer James von Moltke to discuss co-operation between Hong Kong’s and Germany’s financial markets.

Mr Chan said Hong Kong maintains an open and transparent financial regulatory system that aligns with the best international standards, adding that the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect Scheme in the Greater Bay Area continues to expand.

Stressing that the opportunities for international financial institutions to expand their asset and wealth management business in Hong Kong are vast, Mr Chan invited institutions such as Deutsche Bank to hold board meetings in the city. He said this would allow their management and senior executives to understand the actual situation and opportunities in Hong Kong and the bay area.

Concluding his itinerary in Frankfurt, Mr Chan visited a local accelerator company that provides services to fintech startups. He learned about its operations and briefed its co-founder on the startup ecosystem in Hong Kong.

The two also exchanged views on how to foster innovation and technology development by strengthening matching and co-operation between startups and established enterprises.

Mr Chan left the German city last night to return to Hong Kong.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Hong Kong shelter saves 351 animals in 6 months as trapping, smuggling cases surge

Illegal dog trapping and cat smuggling have become alarmingly common, with an animal rescue group reporting that it saved 351 animals in Hong Kong over the past six months – an average of two per day. As Paws Guardian Rescue Shelter, now in its 10th year, released a report on Tuesday detailing the condition of

7 January 2026

Ex-China shooting star jailed for smuggling gun parts into mainland via Hong Kong

The decision to jail a former world record holder for contravening China’s strict firearms laws by buying gun parts overseas and smuggling them onto the mainland via Hong Kong has sparked serious debate among the country’s shooting fraternity. Tian Hong, who equalled the world record in the 60-shot prone rifle event at the National Games

6 January 2026

threezero 與本地動畫《世外》合作推出「小鬼」搪膠人偶，「潮玩區」現場開放預售。（林幸言攝）

香港玩具展、嬰兒用品展、文具展下周一開鑼　新增「潮玩館」展IP作品 (19:10) – 20260106 – 港聞 – 即時新聞

在「潮玩館」展出新作的IP包括B.Duck、CardFun 集卡社、 Hot Toys、以及 threezero 等。其中，部分 IP 會推出「會場首發」及「全球限量」的珍品，包括 threezero 與本地動畫《世外》合作推出的「小鬼」搪膠人偶，現場亦開放預售。「潮玩館」現場亦有 Hot Toys 展示的漫威「鐵甲奇俠」、迪士尼「史迪仔」及星球大戰Grogu COSBI 雕像、 threezero 展示的《新世紀福音戰士新劇場版》ROBO-DOU 13 號機雕像、以及由 Semk Global Marketing Limited 提供的充氣及玻璃纖維 B.Duck 裝置等供入場人士「打卡」。參觀者於現場玩扭蛋遊戲，有機會抽出一款全球限量800套的收藏卡，亦可透過 AI 與收藏卡角色合照，以及參加「專屬紀念品 DIY」工作坊，親手創作潮玩紀念品。香港貿發局副總裁古靜敏表示，今年大會新增「樂齡產品 Happy Ageing」標誌，以便買家識別專為長者或「祖孫同樂」設計的玩具和遊戲。逾 40 家展商將率先採用產品標誌及展出有關產品，包括「顏色分類練習」等。貿發局組織來自 40 多個國家及地區、逾 200 個買家團到場參觀採購，如樂天、天貓國際和亞馬遜等電商將到場採購。三項展覽會為買家提供一站式採購平台，，線上展覽由即日起開放至 22 日。參展商Cinereplicas今年會展出《Kpop 獵魔女團》、《魷魚遊戲》及《海賊王》等作的周邊產品，經理Chad表示還未估算銷售增減，但仍持樂觀態度，他指《Kpop獵魔女團》比較受歐美買家青睞，故預計其銷售表現會最為理想。主要銷售幼兒教育遊戲產品的參展商鵬利（香港）有限公司今年重點推出循環回收遊戲產品，高級業務經理羅手兵表示已參展約二十餘年，每年銷售情况不一，但因局方今年安排逾200個買家團入場，又引述局方公布去年第四季玩具業指數升至全年最高的50.5，因此希望銷售額有約一成增長。去年12月成立的產品商Young Tide Limited 為推廣品牌，今年亦參與香港國際文具及學習用品展，負責人Woody Chau表示面對AI熱潮，香港亦未有本土筆記本品牌，因此推出是次筆記本系列。另一負責人Douglas Poon則稱未有預計銷售額，指參展主要旨在推廣品牌，稍後亦會另有批發及零售，亦會到其他地方參展。 Source link

6 January 2026

19 Pokemon cards worth HK$200,000 snatched from Hong Kong seller during deal

A 33-year-old Hong Kong man fell victim to theft when a prospective buyer he met online snatched 19 valuable Pokemon trading cards worth HK$200,000 (US$26,000) and fled without payment at a railway station. The case unfolded at about 3pm on Tuesday at Lam Tin station, where the seller arranged the deal with the suspect he

6 January 2026

Hong Kong toy fair unveils new pavilion for collectors and global brands

Jerseys signed by football star Cristiano Ronaldo, limited editions of Star Wars trading cards, Transformers figurines and other proprietary collectibles will be up for grabs at an annual toy fair next week in Hong Kong. They are among 150 local and international intellectual property (IP) collectibles to be showcased at the Hong Kong Toys &

6 January 2026

Nestle Hong Kong recalls 21 batches of baby milk formula over toxin fears

Nestle Hong Kong has recalled 21 batches of baby milk formula in the city amid a global scare over potential contamination with a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting. The Centre for Food Safety said on Tuesday evening that the discovery was made after it followed up on a voluntary precautionary recall by Nestle

6 January 2026

19 Pokemon cards worth HK$200,000 snatched from Hong Kong seller during deal

6 January 2026

Hong Kong toy fair unveils new pavilion for collectors and global brands

6 January 2026

UK unveils decade-long growth vision to Hong Kong investors

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] The UK set out its growth agenda in Hong Kong at the inaugural UK Investment Conference, where the country’s industrial strategy and sector opportunities in finance, life sciences, clean energy and advanced manufacturing were presented. Hosted by the British Consulate-General Hong Kong on

6 January 2026

Leading students through open doors

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Although her academic journey began at two of the world’s most prestigious institutions – first as an undergraduate at Peking University, then as a doctoral researcher at Stanford University – Professor Willow Wu has never allowed herself to be confined by the proverbial

6 January 2026

「排隊黨」通宵於金鐘牌照事務處等「吸牌」派籌　陳美寶促運輸署提出短期改善方案 (19:56) – 20260106 – 港聞 – 即時新聞

運輸及物流局於facebook指，免試簽發執照的服務需求一直上升，過去五年的簽發數目由2021年的2.7萬多宗增加至去年的8.4萬多宗。局長陳美寶下午聯同常任秘書長丘卓恒與運輸署召開緊急視像會議，敦促署方進一步優化處理程序，要求運輸署盡快提出短期改善方案，處理因「免試簽發」申請而出現的排隊現象，以杜絕有人濫用派籌安排的不理想情況。另外，陳美寶亦敦促署方繼續提升網上預約系統，在3月前推出優化的網上預約免試簽發櫃位服務，讓預約可以全面在網上處理，申請人同時可以上載證明文件核實資格，相關櫃位服務亦會在全港四間牌照事務處適用。位於統一中心的金鐘牌照事務處現時為全港唯一免試簽發本地駕駛執照申請點，辦事處每日會分別發放「一般駕駛執照服務」（即一般續牌及新領牌等）及「免試簽發本地駕駛執照服務」籌號，前者每日上下午分別派170及130個籌號，後者每日上下午發放80和60個籌號。記者今午12時到金鐘牌照事務處觀察，運輸署將「一般駕駛執照服務」及「免試簽發本地駕駛執照受服務」分為兩條隊；前者安排在中心樓下的樂禮街及金鐘道交界排隊，「免試簽發本地駕駛執照」則在辦事處門口排隊。有職員解釋，因「一般駕駛執照」籌號有百多個，辦事處門口無位排隊，故安排在樓下排隊。不過，據記者觀察及申請者所述，有大量本身是申請「免試簽發本地駕駛執照」服務的「排隊黨」，連日在中心樓下通宵露宿排隊，目的為可爭先在臨近派籌時間，轉到樓上辦事處門口正式排隊。記者下午12時半以尋找代辦服務的顧客身分向在樓下排隊的人士查詢，在場人士約有10多人，但用作「霸位」的摺櫈已有數十張。有操普通話的排隊者向記者稱，連日已在樓下通宵排隊，今晚會繼續留守，輪候翌日的上午籌。他指是受「老闆」聘用來港排隊，並向記者展示一個膠袋，內裏有數十份內地駕駛者填寫的免試簽發香港駕照申請表，附有申請人的內地駕駛執照。記者問這些申請人換香港駕照是否為申請粵車南下，該排隊者稱「聽說是」，代辦費數百元，著記者向老闆查詢，他稱僅知道「工人（排隊者）費用就400元」。有親自來排隊申請免試簽發駕照的申請者批評當局縱容「排隊黨」。來自內地、已來港定居4年的申請人黃生指，因網上預約未來70日均已滿額，他已是連續第3日清晨來排隊，而且與家人「輪更」，家人每日早上6時許從馬鞍山搭頭班車到場排隊，他則下午12時到場接更，「飯都無食，廁所都唔敢去」但仍鬥不過「排隊黨」。他指來排隊多日，已認得「每日都是同一批人」，慨嘆香港出現這樣的排隊場面「核突」，當局不應容許派籌發展成一盤生意，縱容「排隊黨」生存，對有需要並親自來排隊的申請者不公平。黃生今午終排到後補籌頭位，最後成功取籌。同樣來自內地、已在港定居申請者陳生，連續第2天來排隊，他今晨5時半到場，終成功取得下午籌。陳先生向記者呻「好辛苦，已經講嘢都無力」，認為署方不應容許同一批人每日排隊，隊伍中亦不時有人插隊，令他感十分無力及無奈。他期望運輸署盡快全面改為網上預約，杜絕排隊黨出現。 Source link

6 January 2026

Hong Kong I&T minister cancels US trip 4 hours after schedule unveiled

Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) minister has cancelled a trip to the United States following a “dynamic assessment” by the government, just four hours after it announced his three-day itinerary for the visit. In a statement issued at 4.20pm on Tuesday, the government said that Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong had

6 January 2026

Morgan Stanley lifts Hong Kong property to ‘attractive’, with rebound to extend into 2027

Morgan Stanley upgraded Hong Kong’s property sector to “attractive”, noting that an all-round improvement in the city’s economy and a policy-driven recovery will continue to push prices higher this year. The US investment bank forecast home prices to rise around 10 per cent in 2026, with further gains expected in 2027, pointing out that the

6 January 2026

Hong Kong think tank backs call to make bid‑rigging a crime after fatal fire

Hong Kong should make bid-rigging a crime in the wake of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, a local think tank has urged, echoing a similar call from the city’s barristers. The proposal by the POD Research Institute came after the Hong Kong Bar Association formed a task force to review existing legislation following the

6 January 2026

MPF assets grow to record US$199 billion on back of Hong Kong stock market rally

Strong investment gains and contributions brought total Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) assets to an all-time high of HK$1.55 trillion (US$199 billion) at the end of 2025, a growth of HK$260 billion from a year earlier, according to the data released on Tuesday by the city’s pension regulator. That meant each of the 4.79 million MPF

6 January 2026

Hong Kong to Host Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 after Historic Double Win

Hong Kong Tourism Board Home to The World’s Best Bar and The World’s Best Hotel, Hong Kong is now gearing up for another global culinary celebration A50BR26_Announce_1080x13507 HONG KONG, Jan. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — It’s been a banner year for Hong Kong’s restaurant, bar and hospitality scene. Fresh off its historic achievement, in which

6 January 2026

2 owners of Hong Kong eatery arrested for hiring 5 illegal workers in food factory

Hong Kong immigration authorities have broken up an operation in which two local restaurant owners hired illegal foreign workers at their food factory to supply products to their eatery and culinary fairs in the city. Pau Hiu-fung from the Immigration Department’s foreign domestic helpers investigation section said on Tuesday that two owners of a local

6 January 2026

Lantau site eyed for Hong Kong’s first aircraft dismantling plant: sources

A site on northwest Lantau Island is likely to be chosen for a French aeronautical services company to build a factory that will house Hong Kong’s first aircraft dismantling business, the Post has learned. Sources said on Tuesday that the site at To Kau Wan was deemed suitable because of its proximity to Hong Kong

6 January 2026

‘Back To The Past’ opens big in Hong Kong but overall box office falls 16% in 2025 | News

Time-travel action adventure Back To The Past raised the spirits of the quiet Hong Kong box office on New Year’s Eve, smashing several new records, but the annual local box office shrunk 16% year-on-year. Set in both the ancient past and modern day, the film is a follow-up to the 2001 popular TV drama series

6 January 2026

Morgan Stanley lifts Hong Kong property to ‘attractive’, with rebound to extend into 2027

6 January 2026

FS meets ECB President in Frankfurt

Related Article