Paul Krugman Among Over 100 Heavyweight International Speakers
8 December 2014 – A highlight in the international financial calendar, the annual Asian Financial Forum (AFF) 2015 in Hong Kong on 19-20 January will bring together government, finance and business leaders from around the world to discuss developments in the dynamic markets of Asia and beyond.
Organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the AFF 2015 will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Under the theme of “Asia: Sustainable Growth in a World of Change”, the forum will examine the region’s role in reconstructing and sustaining growth in the evolving global economy. More than 100 distinguished speakers will share their insights on a range of topics, including: the state of the global economy, China opportunities, the development of Asia, and the outlook and investment opportunities in the healthcare sector.
“Asia has emerged as the global leader in growth creation on the back of the concerted efforts of the region’s economies in facilitating business and investment opportunities. The Asian Financial Forum will examine Asia’s path to sustaining the momentum and shaping the global macro-economic and financial agenda for the year ahead,” said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Raymond Yip.
Financial and Corporate Heavyweights
Since its launch in 2007, the AFF has attracted a host of renowned speakers, including former US Secretaries of the Treasury Timothy Geithner and Larry Summers. For AFF 2015, Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Paul Krugman of Princeton University will share his insights on global growth prospects for the year ahead. Professor Krugman is among the world’s most respected economists, best known for his ground-breaking work on international trade and economic geography. He was chosen as one of Bloomberg’s 10 Most Influential Thinkers in 2013 and one of Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers for four straight years (2009-2012).
Other confirmed financial and business leaders speaking at AFF 2015 include:
Paul M. Achleitner, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Deutsche Bank AG
Madelyn Antoncic, Vice President and Treasurer, The World Bank
Olivier Blanchard, Economic Counsellor and Director, Research Department, International Monetary Fund
Dennis Brown, Corporate CEO, Bumrungrad Hospital Public Company Limited
Ronnie C Chan, Chairman, Hang Lung Properties Limited
Dennis Chookaszian, Member of the Board, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc
Michael Diekmann, Chairman of the Board, Allianz SE
Ding Xuedong, Chairman & CEO, China Investment Corporation
Andrea Enria, Chairperson, European Banking Authority
Victor K Fung, Chairman, Fung Global Institute, and Group Chairman, Fung Group
Ge Huayong, Chairman of the Board, China UnionPay
Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finance, Luxembourg
Stefan Ingves, Governor of the Central Bank of Sweden
Steven Maijoor, Chair, European Securities and Markets Authority
N.R. Narayana Murthy, Founder, Infosys Limited
Yasuhiro Sato, President and Group CEO, Mizuho Financial Group, Ltd.
Abu Bakar Bin Suleiman, Chairman, IHH Healthcare Berhad
Teresita Sy-Coson, Vice Chairperson, SM Investments Corporation
Tony Tan Caktiong, Chairman, Jollibee Foods Corporation
Frank Tang, Chief Executive Officer, FountainVest Partners
Zhang Lei, Chairman and CEO, Hillhouse Capital Management Group
Bonanza of Insights
Dialogues with CEOs and institutional heads have been added to the programme to allow more dynamic interaction between participants and speakers such as N.R. Narayana Murthy from Infosys Limited, Tony Tan Caktiong from Jollibee Foods Corporation and Madelyn Antoncic from the World Bank. Thematic workshops will also be arranged to focus on such topical issues as the Internet of Things, asset and wealth management in Asia, Chinese outbound investment, renminbi internationalisation, internet finance, the new wave of international financial institutions (including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank), the recently launched Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, as well as ASEAN developments and the New Silk Road.
Doing Deals
The AFF has become an effective platform for matching sources of funds with sources of deals. More than 720 investment project owners, private equity firms, investors, high net-worth individuals and senior professionals from intermediaries and professional services providers have taken part in one-to-one matching meetings at the AFF Deal Flow Matchmaking Session over the years, which is co-organised by the Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association and the HKTDC. A new feature at the upcoming AFF Deal Flow will be presentations to potential investors by national investment promotion agencies and associations covering projects in technology, healthcare, infrastructure developments, food and agriculture, as well as brands and consumer goods. A new dedicated area for sectorial roundtable discussions with industry experts sharing the latest trends, market intelligence and business suggestions will also be introduced.
The Global Investment Zone will return to showcase investment and partnership opportunities in various economies, including Australia, Canada, Italy, Russia and Spain. Returning high-level participant delegations from these economies and others such as the Chinese mainland, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and the USA will facilitate a myriad of exciting business connections and discussions.
Week of Finance
The AFF will be the focal point of the International Financial Week in Hong Kong in mid-January, comprising high-level forums, conferences, seminars and other networking events to highlight various sectors within the financial services industry, thereby showcasing Hong Kong’s role as a leading international financial centre.
The AFF in 2014 attracted over 2,400 financial and business leaders from 41 countries and regions. For further information on the 2015 programme, please visit www.asianfinancialforum.com.
Why Hong Kong?
Consistently ranked alongside New York and London in the Global Financial Centres Index, Hong Kong is an international financial centre in the Asian time zone. The financial services industry is one of Hong Kong’s four pillar industries, generating about 16 per cent of the city’s GDP and creating some 230,000 jobs. The Hong Kong stock market is the second largest individual stock market in Asia and sixth largest in the world by market capitalisation. In 2013, Hong Kong ranked second in the world for funds raised through initial public offerings (US$21.8 billion). Hong Kong is the largest asset management centre in Asia and the world’s largest offshore renminbi business hub with total deposits exceeding RMB 1 trillion. Hong Kong is also a leading banking centre with around 70 of the world’s largest 100 banks operating in the city, as well as the second largest private equity centre in Asia.
Media Enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Corporate Communication Department:
Joe Kainz
Tel: (852) 2584 4216
Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org
