Securities and Futures Commission (SFC)

#SFC annual student-focused seminar “Building the Future: How Green Fintech is Transforming Financial Services” is a wrap! Today we hosted over 100 students who are keen to enhance their understanding of the diverse green fintech solutions available in the Hong Kong market. Special thanks to our industry speakers for bringing to life practical applications of green fintech in the financial services sector and demonstrating technology's role to accelerate sustainable development within the real economy. In addition, the event also showcased the Hong Kong Green Fintech Map 2025 introduced in June this year.

At today’s opening session of the “2025 Director Training Series” hosted by The Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute, the #SFC’s Chairman Dr Kelvin Wong gave a keynote speech to emphasise the importance of quality director training to elevate listing company standards. This is critical to extending Hong Kong's momentum as a global fund-raising and asset management hub after a year of strong growth, he noted. Among the three core advocacies he highlighted, Dr Wong stressed that the purpose of director training is not merely to inform, but to transform—driving behavioural changes in directors to take actionable steps to boost corporate performance. He also urged companies to tailor training content to align with their strategic goals, and adopt face-to-face group learning to strengthen board dynamics and cohesion. Read the full speech: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gqSr_8TT

The #SFC warns the public of suspicious investment products named (a) “FoFund多多一号” and “FoFund多多二号”, (b) “Fo Coin” and (c) “Paradise NFT”, which involve (a) managed strategies related to investment of virtual assets, (b) digital tokens and (c) non-fungible tokens related to artwork respectively.   These products have not been authorised by the SFC for offering to the Hong Kong public. The SFC notes that information regarding these products is accessible to the Hong Kong public via their websites, social media accounts and related mobile application.   The public is warned to stay vigilant when making investment decisions.   Refer to the alert list for more details: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gUuDceAi  

In our ongoing fight against financial fraud and scams, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the Insurance Authority, and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) launched the Anti-Scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0 on 9 July, marking a significant milestone in uniting the strengths of the public, private sectors, and community engagement. Eddie Yue, HKMA's Chief Executive, emphasised the importance of collective action: “The fight against financial fraud and scams and to protect the public requires a united front, bringing together the public and private sectors, as well as the community at large. The Charter 3.0 represents a significant milestone in this endeavour, harnessing the collective strength of the financial, technology, and telecommunications industries to better safeguard the public.” The launch event also featured insightful panel discussions, with anti-scam experts and leaders from technology firms, including Google, Meta, Weixin/WeChat, Xiaohongshu for Business and telecommunications providers China Mobile Hong Kong, China Unicom Hong Kong, HGC Global Communications, HKT Hutchison Telecom Hong Kong, and SmarTone. These industry leaders shared the latest fraud trends and collaborative strategies to protect the public against frauds and scams. Watch the full launch ceremony and panel discussion replay here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gTmemPuH Together, we are building a safer financial ecosystem for all. 💪🔐 #HKMA #AntiScam #ConsumerProtection #CyberSecurity

The #SFC highlighted Hong Kong’s robust growth as a pre-eminent international asset and wealth management (AWM) hub in its Asset and Wealth Management Activities Survey 2024 published today. The city’s AWM business notched a robust gain of 13% in AUM to $35.1 trillion (US$4.53 trillion) and an 81% surge in net fund inflows last year. Dive deeper into the detailed survey findings in the infographics, press release (https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gVbYEnVU) and full report (https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gmpPBHyN).

The #SFC warns the public of a suspicious investment product named “MSB Trust Series IV” which purports to involve an arrangement investing in "an Australian real estate portfolio using different trading strategy (including collateral)". There were investors in Hong Kong who reported difficulties in withdrawing their funds after investing in the product.   The product has not been authorised by the SFC for offering to the Hong Kong public and is suspected to have breached the Securities and Futures Ordinance.   The public is warned against investing in any non-SFC authorised investment products. As these products are not regulated by the SFC, investors have no or very limited protection and may lose all their investments.   Refer to the alert list for more details: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gUuDceAi

To further facilitate visiting professionals worldwide, the #SFC published a new circular today, allowing itinerant professionals to conduct SFC-regulated activities in Hong Kong for a longer period. For details, see the SFC’s circular issued today (https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gdb9nwHp) and the updated quick reference guide for Visiting Professionals (https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gZddsF7h). 

The #SFC today launched a public consultation on draft amendments to the Securities and Futures (Financial Resources) Rules (FRR) and related guidelines for implementing a set of internationally comparable capital requirements for licensed corporations (LCs) engaging in over-the-counter derivative (OTCD) activities. Under the proposal, the OTCD capital requirements previously proposed have been fine-tuned. In particular, the capital requirements for inter-dealer brokers will be significantly lowered and transfer pricing treatments for LCs will be simplified. The SFC also proposed various other FRR changes to facilitate LCs’ trading of stocks in Mainland China and emerging markets, commodities and carbon products, as well as digital asset futures and options. These will also help promote the central clearing of repurchase transactions in Hong Kong. See the press release for more details: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gRtBt_3X

The #SFC has once again been awarded the Privacy-Friendly Gold Award by the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD). The theme of this year’s award, “Safeguarding Data Security: Marching towards a New Digital Era”, highlights the importance of strong data governance and security in an era of rapidly advancing technology. Building on our first win in 2023, this biennial award is a testament to the SFC’s continued commitment to high standards of data privacy and security through robust and comprehensive measures. Please share our joy!

The #SFC joined the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), other financial regulators and public bodies today to support the launch of the Anti-Scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0, which established a collaborative framework between financial regulators and technology firms as well as telecom companies in combatting financial fraud and scams in order to protect the Hong Kong public. When addressing the audience at the launch event, the SFC’s CEO Ms Julia Leung highlighted its firm support for Charter 3.0, which echoes a global call to action. She also emphasised the importance of collective efforts to combat scams to strengthen the public’s trust in the digital world and drive Hong Kong’s progress on innovation. See the joint press release for details: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gEfNJsxP Read Ms Leung’s full speech: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gypMPJjp Insurance Authority Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) In the photos: 1. Ms Julia Leung, Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission, gives opening remarks at the launch event of the Anti-Scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0. 2. (From left) Mr Cheng Yan-chee, Managing Director, Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority; Ms Julia Leung, Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Futures Commission; Mr Eddie Yue, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority; Mr Clement Cheung, Chief Executive Officer, Insurance Authority; Mr Chaucer Leung, Director-General of Communications, Office of the Communications Authority, officiate at the launch event of the Anti-Scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0. 3. Representatives of the financial regulators, supporting organisations, as well as participating technology firms and telecommunications firms attend launch event of the Anti-Scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0.