HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade (DIT) to enhance collaboration in FinTech and encourage business growth and economic development in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom (UK).
Through the MoU, HKSTP and DIT will establish a cooperative framework and outline the foundations for a long-term and strategic relationship to enhance collaboration, with a view to helping homegrown FinTech startups and companies discover opportunities and develop business in Hong Kong and/or the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the United Kingdom, respectively.
The MoU follows the principles and mechanisms of collaboration in FinTech set out in the HK-UK Fintech Bridge (the Bridge), an agreement signed by the Hong Kong SAR government and the UK government in 2017, and includes the exchange of knowledge, talent, innovation, business and investment between Hong Kong and the UK.
For the next two years, HKSTP and DIT will both arrange not less than 10 FinTech startups and enterprises to visit or exhibit in Hong Kong and the UK, respectively, each year. The two parties will provide its companies education and preparatory training before a visit, and the counterpart will offer the visiting companies tailored programmes of support, including education roundtables; business networking; pitching and investment matching opportunities, to increase readiness for landing and exposure to opportunities and investment.
Besides, HKSTP will partner with DIT on its annual DIT FinTech Awards and promote to businesses from Hong Kong and Mainland China an opportunity to explore the UK’s FinTech eco-system, expose to potential opportunities in the UK. On the other hand, DIT will become an industry partner of HKSTP’s Global Acceleration Academy (GAA), one of the longstanding and successful business acceleration programmes in Hong Kong, and promote an opportunity to the UK’s FinTech startups and enterprises for landing in the city’s flagship base for R&D and incubation.
DIT’s Director General Trade & Investment, Paul McComb, said, “Hong Kong enjoys many unique geographical, cultural and infrastructural advantages in the region as an international financial centre. Hong Kong is also at the heart of the many exciting developments in FinTech and the financial sector, especially the Greater Bay Area. We are further encouraged by both the Hong Kong SAR government’s commitment to grow their I&T sector, and HKSTP’s ongoing efforts to cultivate Hong Kong’s I&T ecosystem, especially in FinTech. We are eager to continue our relationship with HKSTP, and hope to see our affiliated startups achieve their full potential with the signing of this MoU.”
Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP, said, “As one of the fastest growing tech markets, Hong Kong is primed to become a world-leading FinTech centre, thanks to the enormous government support and the vibrant I&T ecosystem. It allows companies to forge new partnerships, showcase top talent and catalyse innovations, with FinTech startups and companies at Hong Kong Science Park.
HKSTP is of full commitment to providing a fertile ground as well as new opportunities for best-of-breed innovations around the world. The strategic partnership with DIT will further accelerate the development of FinTech between the two world-class ecosystems. I look forward to seeing our startups gain from the advanced and well-regulated FinTech ecosystem in the UK, while UK companies could leverage the opportunities arising from the Greater Bay Area. May they achieve new heights and find in Hong Kong the appeal of deep talent pool, robust financial sector that could support commercialisation of R&D results, and the distinctive "East-meets-West" culture that sparks creative inspiration.”
About United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade
The UK Department for International Trade (DIT) helps businesses export, drives inward and outward investment, negotiates market access and trade deals, and champions free trade. DIT has an overall responsibility for promoting UK trade across the world and attracting foreign investment to its economy. DIT is a specialised government body with a responsibility for negotiating international trade policy, supporting business, as well as delivering an outward-looking trade diplomacy strategy.
We are an international economic department, responsible for:
- Supporting and encouraging UK businesses to drive sustainable international growth
- Ensuring the UK remains a leading destination for international investment and maintains its number one position for international investment stock in Europe
- Opening markets, building a trade framework with new and existing partners which is free and fair
- Using trade and investment to underpin the government’s agenda for a Global Britain and its ambitions for prosperity, stability and security worldwide
To find out more information about DIT Hong Kong, please contact us at DITHongKong@fco.gov.uk
About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Comprising Science Park, InnoCentre and Industrial Estates, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is a statutory body dedicated to building a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem to connect stakeholders, nurture technology talents, facilitate collaboration, and catalyze innovations to deliver social and economic benefits to Hong Kong and the region.
Established in May 2001, HKSTP has been driving the development of Hong Kong into a regional hub for innovation and growth in several focused clusters including Electronics, Information & Communications Technology, Green Technology, Biomedical Technology, Materials and Precision Engineering. We enable science and technology companies to nurture ideas, innovate and grow, supported by our R&D facilities, infrastructure, and market-led laboratories and technical centres with professional support services. We also offer value added services and comprehensive incubation programmes for technology start-ups to accelerate their growth.
Technology businesses benefit from our specialised services and infrastructure at Science Park for applied research and product development; enterprises can find creative design support at InnoCentre; while skill-intensive businesses are served by our three industrial estates at Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long. More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org.
