Money
Money is your capital channel for going global: both a fulcrum for financing and moving capital offshore, and a whole pool of institutional buyers.
Hong Kong's money is highly institutional and highly outward-facing — it is a transit hub for capital, not an end market. The opportunity lies not in retail clients, but in serving institutions and the cross-border capital flowing through.
You work in fintech / asset management / insurance / wealth; or you want to use Hong Kong as a fulcrum for financing, moving capital offshore, or RMB settlement; or you're in B2B — selling systems, products or professional services to banks, insurers and family offices, turning these financial institutions into your clients.
Your business has nothing to do with capital flows or financial institutions — go straight to Goods or Companies.
T (about US$1.7T, 2025, +24%); note: single family offices are not covered by this SFC survey[S15]
of AUM is invested outside the mainland and Hong Kong, about 44% stays in Hong Kong + the mainland (2025); net fund inflow ≈HK$2.1T (+193%, up for three years running)[S15]
recent years[S15]
of global offshore RMB payments go through Hong Kong; deposits ≈RMB 1.1T (end-2025); RMB FX daily turnover US$315.1B (2025 BIS, world's largest offshore)[S13]
What businesses Money supports × which door to enter
Match the kind of financial business you want to do to the official entry points below.
- Fintech (payments / RegTech / WealthTech / InsurTech)The three regulatory sandboxes (HKMA / SFC / IA, linked via a single entry point)[S19]
- Connecting to bank systemsHKMA Open API Framework / Commercial Data Interchange (CDI)[S13]
- Asset management / fundsLPF (limited partnership fund) / OFC (open-ended fund company)[S22]
- Family-office servicesFamilyOfficeHK (free matching) + FIHV family-office tax concession[S17]
- Selling systems / services to banks and insurersGFT Corporate Champions (InvestHK's flagship; institutions as buyers)[S81]
- Moving capital offshore / RMB settlementThe offshore RMB ecosystem (dim sum bonds, cross-border settlement)[S13]
A sandbox ≠ a customer· First-hand insight in the works
A regulatory sandbox is a controlled testing regime; it doesn't mean anyone is paying.
Bank POC cycles are extremely long· First-hand insight in the works
From first contact to signing often takes six months to a year and a half — don't count on it for short-term cash flow.
Big AUM ≠ easy money· First-hand insight in the works
Highly institutional and conservative; the bar for startups to raise money is very high.
Financial account-opening / licensing is harder· First-hand insight in the works
Financial activities often need an SFC licence (Type 1/4/9); approvals are slow and compliance costs are high.
- 01Fintech → first work out which sandbox you fall under and submit an enquiry via the single entry point; check whether Open API lets you build a prototype.
- 02Family office / wealth → book a free consultation with FamilyOfficeHK and check your eligibility for the FIHV tax concession.
- 03Want banks / insurers as clients → look into GFT Corporate Champions and treat institutions as your buyers.