Polling Results: Nearly half of Attendees are Neutral on Economic
Outlook; US Policy a Focus for 2017
HONG KONG, Jan 17, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - The
10th edition of the Asian Financial Forum (AFF), co-organised by
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and
the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), concluded today at
the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The two-day
forum welcomed more than 2,800 financial and business leaders,
policymakers, investors and high net-worth individuals from 50
countries and regions. Around 100 high-level speakers shared
insights into global economic trends as well as investment
opportunities in Asia for the coming year.
The AFF, which included a special 10th Edition Cocktail Reception
and more than 620 one-on-one matchmaking meetings, presented a
dynamic platform for businesses to explore investment opportunities
in the financial sector and hear from thought-leaders in the
industry.
Uncertainty amidst the change of US administration
A number of polling sessions were conducted during the AFF to
collect insights and intelligence from participants on various
economic issues and development policies. Polling results indicated
that nearly half of the attendees (49%) are neutral on the outlook
for the global economy this year; among the remaining participants,
more (31%) are pessimistic compared to those who are optimistic
(20%) towards the economy. However, the percentage of participants
voting pessimistic is lower than at last year's AFF, indicating
business expectations have slightly improved. Forty-five per cent
of attendees think the biggest global economic risk is the policy
direction of the new United States administration, while 19 per
cent of attendees identified heightened geopolitical tension as
another looming risk.
Belt and Road opportunities
On-site polling results also showed that the highest number of
attendees (38%) think China will offer the best investment returns
in 2017, an increase of 7.7 percentage points compared to the same
poll last year. Twenty-six per cent of attendees said the US is
likely to offer the best return on investment. Meanwhile, 15 per
cent and 10 per cent expect good return from Southeast Asia and
India respectively. However, more than half of the attendees (52%)
expect that China's GDP growth will slow to between six and 6.5 per
cent; 36 per cent of attendees think annual growth will exceed 6.5
per cent. Twenty-three per cent of attendees said the main growth
engine is increasing domestic demand (23%), followed by economic
liberalisation and structural reform (18%) and proactive fiscal
policies (17%) and the Belt and Road Initiative (17%).
Seventy-seven per cent of attendees expect the Belt and Road
Initiative to yield substantial economic benefits to most, if not
all, ASEAN countries.
The Belt and Road Initiative is creating numerous investment
opportunities, especially in infrastructure financing, for
countries and regions along the Belt and Road routes. To examine
this topic, Hong Kong's Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau
and Hong Kong Monetary Authority Infrastructure Financing
Facilitation Office (IFFO) co-organised a workshop on
"Infrastructure Financing in Asia: Prospects and Challenges". The
panel was chaired by Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary
Authority, Norman TL Chan and invited speakers from China's
Ministry of Finance, Astana International Financial Centre, Canada
Pension Plan Investment Board, CLP Holdings Limited, HSBC and
Macquarie Group Asia to analyse opportunities and challenges in
infrastructure financing in Asia.
Business opportunities for different market sectors
One of the key themes of the AFF was Hong Kong's role in the global
market amidst economic challenges and opportunities. This morning's
breakfast panel "Positioning Hong Kong in the New World Order",
sponsored by the Financial Services Development Council, tapped
into this theme. MTR Corporation Limited Chairman Prof Frederick Ma
discussed Hong Kong's role on the Belt and Road; Goldman Sachs Asia
Bank Limited Chairman Tim Freshwater shared insights into green
financing and Lei Zhang, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Hillhouse
Capital Management Group spoke about how Hong Kong could leverage
its financial infrastructure to develop Fintech. Other AFF
workshops covered topics including green economy, China-India
economic cooperation, personal wealth management, Fintech and
insurance.
At today's keynote luncheon, Dr Raghuram Rajan, former Governor of
the Reserve Bank of India and Distinguished Service Professor of
Finance at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business,
analysed how central banks of different countries can devise
appropriate currency policies in the current environment and ways
that investors can cope with the changing policy and regulatory
landscape.
Professional insights into investment
For a second consecutive year, the AFF hosted the Global Investment
Summit, inviting Tao Zhang, Deputy Managing Director, International
Monetary Fund, to deliver the opening speech, while a number of
other high-level guest speakers explored investment opportunities
in ASEAN and the Middle East. The Global Investment Zone allowed
attendees to learn about investment opportunities and projects from
13 countries including Germany, Iran, Israel, Poland, South Africa,
US and Vietnam.
The HKTDC also jointly organised the AFF Deal Flow Matchmaking
Session with the Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity
Association. The session this year arranged more than 620
one-on-one meetings for over 450 investors and project owners,
involving more than 450 projects. Project presentation and
interaction sessions focussed on four high potential sectors: food
and agriculture, environment and production technology, Fintech and
infrastructure investment. The Financial and Professional Advisory
Services Zone provided free on-site finance consultation services
from representatives of financial institutions, accounting firms,
legal firms and business consultation companies.
The AFF is also a flagship event of the International Financial
Week, which features a wide array of events covering topics
including connectivity, private investment, and alternative
investment, highlighting Hong Kong's strengths as an international
financial centre and creating business partnership
opportunities.
Websites:
Asian Financial Forum: http://www.asianfinancialforum.com/en
International Financial Week:
http://www.internationalfinancialweek.com/
Photo download: http://bit.ly/2iCahjm
To view press releases in Chinese, please visit
http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/tc
About HKTDC
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council
(HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for
Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally,
including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong
as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world.
With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international
exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide
companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the
mainland and in international markets, while providing information
via trade publications, research reports and digital channels
including the media room. For more information, please visit:
www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Google+, Twitter @hktdc,
LinkedIn.
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+hktdc
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/hktdc
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-council
Source: HKTDC
Contact:
HKTDC
Communication and Public Affairs Department
Joe Kainz
Tel: +852 2584 4216
Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org
Copyright 2017 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
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