Hong Kong's Green Tech Summit 2025, themed "Everything is Connected," has opened with participation from over 350 professionals from finance, sustainability, technology, and academia.
In his address, Chen Haolian, Deputy Secretary of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, highlighted Hong Kong's continuous efforts in raising funds for green investments, reinforcing its role as a "Sustainable Finance Hub." In 2024, the total green and sustainable debt issued in Hong Kong (including bonds and loans) exceeded $84 billion, accounting for about 45% of the total in the Asia region, marking seven consecutive years at the top in Asia.
As of September this year, the issuance scale of Hong Kong's green and sustainable financial-related debt has surpassed HKD 1.3 trillion, with over 200 ESG funds recognized by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, managing approximately $150 billion in assets. Additionally, Hong Kong's green and sustainable finance subsidy scheme has been extended to 2027, providing around HKD 380 million to over 600 green and sustainable debt instruments. Chen emphasized that Hong Kong's rich capital market enables continued funding for projects aligned with carbon neutrality goals.
Chen also revealed that Hong Kong is exploring the integration of technology with green finance. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is working with the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong to study the application of tokenization in carbon trading.
Moreover, the Hong Kong government is collaborating with mainland regulatory authorities to explore matters concerning China's participation in the international carbon market, including the establishment of standards for carbon credit limits and the registration, trading, and settlement of carbon reduction amounts. Chen reaffirmed Hong Kong's commitment to sustainable development, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050.
Several foreign institutions participated in the summit, including BNP Paribas Asset Management, HSBC, and Zurich Insurance's Resilience Solutions. Guests generally agreed that building resilient development is not a cost burden for companies but rather a competitive advantage. The Asia-Pacific Head of Zurich's Resilience Solutions stated that a resilient business model is essential for companies and society to achieve long-term value. An earlier Zurich study found that Asia is warming at twice the global rate. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority surveyed over 4,000 businesses across 12 Asian economies, revealing that nearly half face high-risk exposure to climate issues. Zurich has established a monitoring system to track environmental risks at over 100 global locations, quantifying the data to address the environmental risks that the market faces.
The Wealth Management Head of BNP Paribas Hong Kong stated during a roundtable discussion that when companies undergo sustainable transformation, the execution aspect warrants deeper discussion; institutions need to expand their solution offerings to bridge the gap between vision and actual outcomes.
HSBC's Head of Sustainable Finance and Transition in Hong Kong remarked that leveraging technology to address environmental risks is one of the core global investment areas. There is an eagerness for financial institutions to collaborate with tech companies and the public sector to translate climate tech solutions from concepts into tangible impacts.
Institutions project that by 2030, global climate investment will reach $9 trillion, increasing to $10 trillion by 2050. There remains significant demand in the global green and sustainable finance sector.