Latest news with #Libertify
RTHK
12-08-2025
- Business
- RTHK
'Firms eye mainland, Asia-Pacific markets via HK'
'Firms eye mainland, Asia-Pacific markets via HK' Florian Lang, centre, says Hong Kong is unrivalled as an international financial hub. Photo: RTHK Two overseas firms that have already established their presence in Hong Kong said they see the SAR as a gateway for the mainland and Asia-Pacific markets. French fintech start-up Libertify, a company utilising artificial intelligence to generate videos for creative storytelling, opened an office here after winning the InvestHK's Global FastTrack Award in 2023. Founder CEO APAC of Libertify, Florian Lang, said it is a 'milestone' for the company to set up its Asia hub in Hong Kong as it tries to penetrate the China and other Asia-Pacific markets. "Hong Kong is the financial hub that has no equivalent in the region, even in the world," he said, adding that the company is well-connected in the city. "Market is also integrating latest policies, latest trends... much faster than the other ones. We are targeting to expand all across APAC, also in mainland China, and we think that Hong Kong is the true first step to go on both of those markets." Libertify has about 10 clients in Hong Kong at the moment and Lang sees strong potential growth moving forward. "In 2024, AI was quite new. So most of our clients were looking at it but they didn't know where to fit it, to integrate it in their system," he said. "Now, we see a massive change because everybody needs it. They know where it can fit, so there is a huge acceleration and we are very optimistic for 2025 as the traction and the trends are going strongly in our direction." Meanwhile, Italian food importer and distributor Bright View Trading said operating in Hong Kong is crucial for the company's development, as the SAR is an important hub for the catering market. "It's important to be here because it's representative of all the best cuisine and restaurants in the world. For us, it's a gateway also to China and the Asian market," said general manager Michele Bernacchia. Bright View already has a presence on the mainland and is looking to expand in the Greater Bay Area. Bernacchia added that the firm is adapting to the changing market by adjusting its costs and enhancing its competitiveness. InvestHK's senior vice president of fintech digital market, Brain Cook, said the investment body will continue to host promotions and global competitions to attract enterprises with potential. He said InvestHK will also offer support for these companies after they set up shop in the SAR.
South China Morning Post
11-08-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
European firms tout Hong Kong as springboard for expansion into mainland China, Asia
Hong Kong can help European companies tap promising markets in Asia, particularly mainland China, by leveraging the city's unique advantages and its booming financial market, according to two firms that are using bases of operations in the city to further expand in the region. Advertisement Italian-owned food importer and distributor Bright View and French fintech firm Libertify are using Hong Kong as a springboard to reach opportunities in mainland China, elsewhere in Asia and further abroad, with the help of InvestHK, a government agency tasked with attracting foreign investment. 'Hong Kong has always been and still is a market that all the producers are interested in to be here,' said Michele Bernacchia, the general manager of Bright View, which imports and distributes cheese, cold cuts, pastries, pasta, rice and fresh vegetables. The company is a unit of Italy's Inalca Food & Beverage, which first started working with InvestHK in 2015 and acquired local firm Bright View Trading in 2017. Now, with confidence in the development of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area , the company has set up offices in Macau and Zhongshan, a city in China's southern Guangdong province. It also has operations in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu. The Greater Bay Area combines Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong into a market with a population of more than 87 million. Advertisement 'We are very excited about this because we think that in the south of China there are a lot of opportunities,' Bernacchia said. The company was eyeing Shenzhen as its next target city for expansion, he said.
