InvestHK's Gulf Cooperation Council Fintech Visit Spurs Strategic Partnerships
Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) reinforced its role as a global business hub through a strategic visit to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, forging strong partnerships. The InvestHK GCC fintech delegation built on the momentum from the Chief Executive's earlier visit to the Middle East in May, which saw three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) signed by InvestHK.
The InvestHK GCC fintech delegation, made up of leaders from top financial and fintech firms founded locally, in Mainland China or overseas with operations in Hong Kong, engaged in high-level meetings.
This included meetings with local government organisations, private equity partners and tech incubators across the GCC, facilitated by InvestHK.
The Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, Alpha Lau, said,
'In today's evolving global economy, Hong Kong has showcased its irreplaceable strategic value as a 'super connector'. We recognise opportunities in high-potential markets, such as the GCC region, which are actively diversifying their economies through innovations. By partnering with InvestHK, companies can effectively access these competitive markets with the government's support.'
The Global Head of Financial Services, FinTech & Sustainability at InvestHK, King Leung, added,
'Leveraging our in-depth understanding of each participating company, we successfully showcased Hong Kong as an efficient platform for connecting high-quality enterprises, earning broad recognition from local governments, businesses, and investors across the GCC region.'
Over the past two years, firms like Evident Group, LianLian Global, OneDegree, and others have joined the delegations, with delegates crediting the HKSAR Government for enabling meaningful results through its support and connections.
Evident Group's delegation participation led to a milestone MOU with Zand Bank, the UAE's AI-powered bank. This marked the start of a strategic collaboration, focused on delivering innovative alternative investment solutions for the latter's private wealth clients.
By leveraging Evident Group's secure digital market infrastructure, the partnership aims to broaden access to private equity secondaries, private credit, and tokenised infrastructure, highlighting how digitalisation of private markets can strengthen Hong Kong's role as a bridge for global private wealth.
Next, LianLian Global sees Hong Kong as a vital hub for expanding its presence in the GCC. Using InvestHK delegations to build key government-to-government relationships, most notably with the Central Bank of the UAE, opened new strategic pathways.
Also, at the Dubai FinTech Summit, LianLian Global secured a cooperation agreement with Lulu Money to extend payment services into Mainland China.
Thirdly, Lingfeng Capital secured its approved-in-principle from the UAE's Financial Services Regulatory Authority as a licensed fund manager in the UAE. Lingfeng Capital has set up its regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi after identifying growth opportunities during the first delegation visit last year.
Building on this momentum, Lingfeng Capital is now establishing a fund in Abu Dhabi to support portfolio companies from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and beyond as they expand into the GCC region.
Finally, OneDegree has earned recognition from GCC government officials for its digital asset insurance solutions.
Backed by investment from Dubai Insurance and approved by the Central Bank of the UAE through its partnership with Dubai Insurance Co., OneDegree is set to provide digital asset insurance in the UAE. Walaa will be providing reinsurance capital for OneDegree's global digital asset playbook.
A key milestone for OneDegree was a private meeting with senior leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Insurance Authority during last year's delegation visit.
The 2025 InvestHK GCC fintech delegation was built on groundwork laid by HKSAR officials to deliver concrete business outcomes, reinforcing Hong Kong's role as a globally connected, outward-facing economy. As a 'super connector' and 'super value-adder,' Hong Kong continues to drive two-way economic growth through innovation and strategic partnerships.
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