Supporting role: how InvestHK is driving Hong Kong firms' global growth
Donald Trump wrapped up his whirlwind Gulf tour with over US$2 trillion in deals, a little-known Hong Kong fintech firm beat global rivals to bag a contract with a United Arab Emirates (UAE) bank.
Advertisement
Evident Group, operator of a digital investment platform for alternative assets and licensed by the
Securities and Futures Commission , formed a partnership with Zand Bank, the UAE's first fully licensed digital bank. The collaboration will provide the Dubai-based bank's clients with investment opportunities through Evident's
tokenisation technology and infrastructure.
The partnership was made possible thanks to the efforts of
InvestHK . And Evident's success exemplifies the investment promotion agency's new mission. After a quarter-century dedicated to attracting global investment to Hong Kong, InvestHK is transforming into a business development agency that leverages the city's dual role as both a 'superconnector' and 'super value-adder' to help companies succeed.
'We must now help them take the next step in their journey to be successful,' said Alpha Lau Hai-suen, the director general of InvestHK. 'Whether they are from China or from Asia or elsewhere, once they open in Hong Kong, we see them as a Hong Kong company, so we will help them.'
(From left) King Leung, global head of financial services, fintech and sustainability at InvestHK; Victor Yim, head of fintech at Cyberport Hong Kong; Florian Spiegl, founder and CEO of Evident Group; Ronald Fok, head of wealth and asset management at Zand Bank; Michael Chan, CEO of Zand Bank, and Parag Gupta, COO of Zand Bank. Photo: Handout
This strategic shift responds to evolving challenges. InvestHK was established in 2000 to retain foreign investment amid rising competition. A pivotal moment came in 2001 when China joined the World Trade Organization, prompting many firms to bypass Hong Kong for direct mainland access. But now companies want to expand, taking advantage of Hong Kong's credibility and regulations.
Advertisement
Evident's founder Florian Spiegl appreciated InvestHK's role in bringing the partnership with Zand to fruition. He said this was only possible after InvestHK arranged an informal meeting with Zand's CEO, Michael Chan, which gave him an opportunity to share his vision. This, in turn, helped speed things up.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
21 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
How classic Hong Kong dim sum restaurant Metropol is an authentic snapshot of the city
Several friends and I attended yet another living memorial last week. We've been to quite a few of these farewells lately. This time, it was one last hurrah at the Metropol Restaurant in Hong Kong's Admiralty district. Sorry if I make it sound sullen and morbid, but that's how it's been for numerous hospitality establishments. Metropol is just one of the latest to announce their sorry fate. After 35 years, they will shuffle off their mortal coil in September to make way for an education facility. Lately, we've bid a fond adieu to many other food businesses. Some casualties came suddenly, like the King Parrot Group (King Ludwig Beerhall, Ocean Rock Seafood & Tapas), the Ocean Empire congee shops and the Taipan Bakery chain. Others like Meraki Hospitality (Uma Nota, Bedu) and even the delivery platform Deliveroo foretold their closing before turning belly up. I wouldn't say Metropol was a regular haunt but it is the most classic of Cantonese restaurants in Admiralty. It offers quality dim sum and banqueting, in a modest yet comfortable setting, and is far more reasonably priced than the district's posher outlets. Customers eat lunch at Metropol on July 8, 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse For weekend dim sum, we could rely on it for decent fare and a short wait since the venue is so massive – taking up the entire fourth floor of the United Centre. Its other main attraction is that they still use trolleys to carry the bamboo baskets around, although that practice has been minimised by diners lining up at the central cooking stations and ordering directly from the aunties there.
RTHK
11 hours ago
- RTHK
Food Expo exhibitors left with taste for more
Food Expo exhibitors left with taste for more The Food Expo begins on Thursday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Photo: RTHK Overseas vendors are banking on this year's Hong Kong Food Expo to continue to deliver in their attempts to reach new markets. One of them is senior export manager Malgorzata Pawlik from Polish company Evrafish, which has only sold in Europe. "We are looking forward for new clients and new opportunities," she told RTHK ahead of the expo. "It's our first time here in Hong Kong, and we hope it's going to be very successful for us." This was echoed by Jisu Yu, export manager for South Korea's Hanmandoo Foods. "We are hoping to get more distributors in Hong Kong. We do have a distributor now, but we are hoping to expand our retail buyers," she said. Business Development Manager Antoine Maurer from Hong Kong-based exporter KK Food Trading says success at last year's expo is why the firm is joining again this year. "[There] is a goal to have two [deals] to develop some projects with," he said, adding that the company will continue to try and exhibit in Hong Kong. Along with four other fairs, the five-day expo begins on Thursday in Wan Chai, with organisers hoping to attract half a million visitors.
RTHK
11 hours ago
- RTHK
Food Expo exhibitors left with taste for more
Food Expo exhibitors left with taste for more The Food Expo begins on Thursday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Photo: RTHK Overseas vendors are banking on this year's Hong Kong Food Expo to continue to deliver in their attempts to reach new markets. One of them is senior export manager Malgorzata Pawlik from Polish company Evrafish, which has only sold in Europe. "We are looking forward for new clients and new opportunities," she told RTHK ahead of the expo. "It's our first time here in Hong Kong, and we hope it's going to be very successful for us." This was echoed by Jisu Yu, export manager for South Korea's Hanmandoo Foods. "We are hoping to get more distributors in Hong Kong. We do have a distributor now, but we are hoping to expand our retail buyers," she said. Business Development Manager Antoine Maurer from Hong Kong-based exporter KK Food Trading says success at last year's expo is why the firm is joining again this year. "[There] is a goal to have two [deals] to develop some projects with," he said, adding that the company will continue to try and exhibit in Hong Kong. Along with four other fairs, the five-day expo begins on Thursday in Wan Chai, with organisers hoping to attract half a million visitors.
