Asian Financial Forum to attract 3,000 elites
About 3,000 financial and business leaders from regions including the Middle East and Southeast Asia are expected to discuss Asia’s latest macroeconomic landscape at the Asian Financial Forum (AFF) in Hong Kong later this month.  Themed “Multilateral Cooperation for a Shared Tomorrow”, the 17th edition of the forum will focus on Asia's economic growth as well as emerging investment opportunities at a time of changing global supply chains and potential interest rate cuts. With eight out of 10 of the world's most populous countries facing elections, market volatilities could continue, along with the evolving regional political environments, according to Luanne Lim, chairperson of the AFF Steering Committee and HSBC's Hong Kong CEO. Lim said she believes Asia will continue to serve as an “engine” for global economic growth, with six members of the regional bloc Asean expected to see growth of around 4.7 percent, while the mainland could see growth of 4.9 percent this year. India is expected to see the fastest economic growth in the world in 2024, she added. The banking veteran also noted that Hong Kong could contribute to global economic growth by being a “super connector”, a “regional clearing house” and a “global financial centre”. Meanwhile, Patrick Lau, deputy executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, noted that forums featuring the Middle East and Asean markets will be key focuses of the AFF's 40 themed discussions, with topics covering sustainability, green finance, fintech, as well as interest rate forecasts. “We particularly want AFF as the first [financial] event of the year to demonstrate that Hong Kong can gather global leaders to discuss multilateral corporations, to find the opportunities for everyone via Hong Kong,” Lau said. He said Hong Kong remains competitive for global investors and two thirds of the AFF participants are overseas representatives from the mainland, Middle East, Asean and Europe. Keynote speakers will include the president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a Nobel laureate, as well as finance ministers from Qatar, Thailand, Egypt and Croatia. A deal-making event will be held to promote about 400 investment projects for about 200 investors.   The AFF will be held on January 24 and 25, at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.