The past week has been incredibly exhilarating. Meeting friends old and new, as well as executives and influencers from across the world from finance, business, politics and academia – all in one place has been a bit of a shock to the system! After two years of pandemic-induced virtual meetings, it really is so good to be out and about again.

I think Davos is exactly what the world needs right now.

Over the past couple of years, the global backdrop has become increasingly fragile, and bringing leaders from all around the world to this picturesque town to talk and re-build the essential connections we all need could not have come sooner. This is why the World Economic Forum was founded in the first place, and this year, it has proved its significant value and worth.

Over the course of this week, I had the pleasure of meeting a whole host of fintech, asset management, regulatory and banking executives in 1:1s to discuss how HKEX and Hong Kong can continue to contribute to the global capital markets industry, and deliver on their role as East-West connector. There were lots of inspiring discussions and the opportunity to answer questions about Hong Kong’s future as a vital international finance centre.

I also participated in a number of official WEF programmes, including speaking at the “China’s Financial Services Opportunity” session. What stood out to me is the collaborative spirit of representatives from the world’s financial community, all of them optimistic about embracing opportunities emerging out of China. With Hong Kong right at the epicenter of this, it has been great to share my views and insight on our role, and what we can do to support our customers as we all move forward.

Wednesday was a big day for the HKEX team as we hosted our own Davos breakfast with a small group of influential global leaders, discussing the geopolitical environment and the outlook for Asia. Look out for a detailed update on how the event went on our website later on.

Overall, it’s been very refreshing and inspiring to hear global CEOs speak candidly about the challenges of the past couple of years, and the path forward as we build a more resilient and sustainable world economy.

I will wrap up now as I am off to Zurich for a couple of meetings before I head back to Hong Kong. This week has provided plenty of connections, ideas, opportunities and inspiration – all of which I’m looking forward to taking back to Asia as we execute our vision of building the marketplace of the future!