The Zhitong Finance App learned that Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Chen Maobo said while attending the 2026 annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Council in Doha, Qatar, that Hong Kong is committed to strengthening the connectivity and accessibility of public and private services. The mobile digital identity platform “Smart and Convenient” allows citizens to use services such as filing taxes and checking health records in a single identity. It now supports more than 1,400 online services provided by the government, public and private institutions. The Hong Kong Government will continue to expand its platform services and plans to launch a “digital corporate identity” platform before the end of this year to extend the service to enterprises.
He said that in addition to connecting citizens and opportunities, digital connectivity can also help citizens easily access services, expand the market and obtain financing. Digital public infrastructure can connect identity, finance and other data on the same shared platform, facilitate payments, reduce repeated data submission by citizens and enterprises, and enhance service efficiency and inclusiveness.
Chen Maobo said that promoting digital services should not only focus on technical compatibility, but also require early integration of government departments and enterprises, setting common standards, designing services according to user needs, and coordinating implementation schedules.
In terms of financial infrastructure, he pointed out that FPS connects to banks and electronic money packages to provide 24/7 real-time transfer services. At the end of last year, the average daily transaction volume reached 2 billion US dollars, and it already supports cross-border payments by connecting to Thailand's PromptPay. The number of stored value payment instrument accounts in Hong Kong is over 90 million, an increase of nearly 50% over 2022. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority's “Business Data Connect”, with customer consent, securely connects banks and commercial data providers to assist banks in evaluating the credit capacity of SMEs. As of June this year, it has used the platform to complete more than 100,000 loan applications, involving a total of more than US$11 billion. The “CargoX” project also helps banks verify transactions and provide trade finance by obtaining freight and trade data more quickly.
Chen Maobo said that artificial intelligence can improve productivity and the quality of public services. The Hong Kong Government is promoting artificial intelligence applications and process restructuring through the AI Efficiency Improvement Group, and is developing data facilities that balance energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions in Shaling in the northern metropolitan area. The Hong Kong Government has launched an AI funding scheme to support eligible research institutes, start-ups and commercial institutions. It has also set up an AI sandbox in the financial sector, covering areas such as banking, securities, wealth management, insurance and retirement protection.
He emphasized that the development of artificial intelligence and data sharing must be based on cybersecurity, privacy protection and effective risk management. Hong Kong's critical infrastructure protection legislation came into effect in January this year, and the “Authorized Data Exchange Gateway” has so far enabled more than 62 million data exchanges. The Hong Kong Government will also develop guidelines and governance frameworks for different areas of artificial intelligence, and examine whether current legislation can properly handle liability issues for damage caused by artificial intelligence, so that society can share the opportunities brought about by digital innovation in safety and trust.