Asian Financial Forum (AFF)

What Asian Financial Forum (AFF) does

The Asian Financial Forum (AFF) is an annual flagship financial forum established in 2007 and organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), a statutory body of the Hong Kong SAR Government, which also serves as co-organizer. The event brings together 3,600+ participants — of whom 81% are CEOs and senior decision-makers — drawn from 60+ countries and regions, alongside 130+ global speakers and 140+ exhibitors, startups, and service providers. AFF's product surface comprises the Global Business Summit (keynote and panel programming on high-growth industries), AFF Deal-making (a matchmaking platform that facilitated 720+ one-to-one meetings between 280+ investors and 560+ projects from 510+ project owners), an Exhibition zone, the InnoVenture Salon and FintechHK Startup Salon, the Global Investment Zone, and the FutureGreen Showcase for sustainable finance. Revenue is generated through participant registration fees and a tiered sponsorship structure, with flagship-tier sponsors including EY, HSBC, Bank of China, Standard Chartered, and UBS, supported by HKEX, CICC, Cyberport, Prudential, Ardian, and Luxembourg for Finance, and amplified by media partners Bloomberg, CNBC, SCMP, Financial Times, Caixin Global, and Yicai Global. Distribution leverages HKTDC's global trade-promotion network, multilingual digital channels (English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese; LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube, Weibo, WeChat), and integration with the broader International Financial Week platform. The 2025 edition carried the theme "Accelerating Transformation: Impact · Inclusion · Innovation."

Name

Asian Financial Forum (AFF)

Legal name

Hong Kong Trade Development Council

Website

https://asianfinancialforum.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Asian Financial Forum (AFF) is an annual Hong Kong-based financial forum organized by HKTDC, convening 3,600+ senior executives, 280+ investors, and 560+ projects across 60+ countries for thought leadership, deal-making matchmaking, and fintech exhibitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Conferences and Business Events

NAICS

Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance & Investment Conferences (MPAGAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Financial conferences
• Business networking events
• Deal matchmaking forums
• Investment summits
• Fintech exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration: Revenue generated from participant registration fees for attending the Asian Financial Forum event.
2. Sponsorship: Sponsorship revenue from financial institutions and corporations including EY, HSBC, BOC, Standard Chartered, UBS, and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Asian Financial Forum is an annual flagship financial conference organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). It delivers thought leadership through keynote speeches and panel discussions, facilitates one-to-one deal-making meetings between investors and project owners, and hosts exhibitions and startup showcases focused on fintech, green finance, and next-generation business ideas.

Product overview

Asian Financial Forum (AFF) is a single, unified conference and networking platform organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). The event comprises multiple integrated components: the core Global Business Summit featuring keynote speeches and panel discussions on high-growth industries; AFF Deal-making for one-to-one investor-project matchmaking; Exhibition showcasing fintech innovations and startups; InnoVenture Salon & FintechHK Startup Salon for startup networking; Global Investment Zone for connecting investors with opportunities; and FutureGreen Showcase for sustainable finance themes. These components work together to provide a comprehensive platform for thought leadership, business networking, and investment deal-making across Asia's financial and business community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asian Financial Forum (AFF) Annual Conference Premier annual flagship financial conference organized by HKTDC that brings together influential global leaders from government, finance, and business for thought leadership and deal-making. The 2025 edition featured 130+ global speakers and 3,600+ participants from 60 countries and regions under the theme Accelerating Transformation: Impact · Inclusion · Innovation.
• Global Business Summit Keynote speeches and panel discussions spotlighting high-growth industries and innovation, dissecting the connectivity between finance and the real economy. Targeted at senior financial and business executives attending the AFF.
• AFF Deal-making Matchmaking A structured one-to-one business matching program connecting investors (sources of funds) with project owners (sources of deals), enabling participants to meet potential business partners from around the world through pre-scheduled meetings. Statistics: 720+ meetings, 280+ investors, 560+ projects, 510+ project owners.
• AFF Exhibition Exhibition area showcasing innovative offerings and game-changing solutions from fintech firms, startups, and investment agencies. Targeted at conference attendees seeking market visibility and partnership opportunities.
• InnoVenture Salon & FintechHK Startup Salon Dedicated networking sessions within AFF for innovative fintech startups to connect with investors and industry leaders, enabling funding acquisition, market visibility, and partnership building.
• Global Investment Zone A dedicated zone within AFF connecting investors with investment opportunities from around the world, supporting deal sourcing and cross-border investment activity.
• FutureGreen Showcase A themed showcase within AFF focused on sustainable and green finance innovations and solutions, connecting ESG-focused investors with green finance opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 720+ meetings facilitated between investors and project owners

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHKTDC is the primary organizer of the Asian Financial Forum, providing the institutional framework, marketing network, and operational infrastructure for the event.
• Hong Kong SAR GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of AFF, providing government backing and institutional legitimacy to the forum.
• Ernst & Young (EY)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerLead sponsor of Asian Financial Forum, providing thought leadership content and supporting event organization.
• HSBCflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor sponsor of the forum, contributing to the financial sector representation and participant recruitment.
• Bank of China (BOC)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor supporting the forum's financial services focus and Asian market representation.
• Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) LimitedflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing international banking perspective and supporting cross-border financial discussions.
• UBSflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor contributing to wealth management and investment-focused sessions at the forum.
• BloombergflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerKey media partner providing coverage and editorial content for AFF proceedings.
• CNBCflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerKey media partner broadcasting AFF discussions and connecting with global business audience.
• SCMP (South China Morning Post)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerKey media partner covering Asian financial news and AFF events.
• CICC (China International Capital Corporation)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting sponsor representing Chinese mainland capital markets perspective.
• HKEX (Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting sponsor contributing to capital markets and listing discussions.
• CyberportcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting sponsor representing Hong Kong's fintech and technology ecosystem.
• PrudentialcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting sponsor contributing to insurance and financial services discussions.
• ArdianminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrivate equity firm supporting the forum's investment focus.
• Luxembourg for FinanceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRepresenting Luxembourg's financial centre and investment opportunities.
• Caixin GlobalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKey media partner providing Chinese financial news coverage of AFF.
• Financial TimescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKey media partner providing global financial news coverage.
• Yicai GlobalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKey media partner covering Chinese business and financial news.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Milken Institute Global Conference: Annual flagship financial/business conference bringing together global leaders, policymakers, and investors. Highly comparable in attendee caliber (CEOs, senior decision-makers), content focus (capital markets, financial innovation), and deal-making orientation.
• Sibos (SWIFT): SWIFT's annual banking and financial services conference. Highly comparable attendee profile (global bank executives, payments leaders) and similar format (annual flagship with exhibition and networking), targeting the same sponsor base.
• Money 20/20: Premier global payments and fintech event series. Comparable in audience (financial executives, fintech innovators), sponsorship model, and deal-making focus, particularly relevant given AFF's fintech components.
• Singapore FinTech Festival: Asia's largest fintech event, organized by the Monetary Authority of Singapore with government backing. Directly comparable to AFF in format (annual, government-supported, fintech/investor focus) and competes for the same sponsor and attendee base in the Asian financial forum space.
• World Economic Forum (Annual Meeting, Davos): World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos is the global benchmark for premier financial/political forums. Both events convene global CEOs, heads of state, and financial leaders for thought leadership and deal-making, with comparable attendee profiles and sponsor ecosystems.
• Bloomberg New Economy Forum: Bloomberg's annual forum convening global CEOs and policymakers on economic and financial topics. Comparable attendee profile (senior decision-makers), media-driven model, and thought-leadership format positioning it as a direct alternative for executive-level attendees.
• Hong Kong FinTech Week: Hong Kong's flagship fintech event organized by InvestHK and HKTDC. Overlaps directly with AFF's fintech components (FintechHK Startup Salon) and shares the same organizer ecosystem, making it both a peer and a co-marketing partner.
• SuperReturn / SuperReturn International: Leading private equity and venture capital conference series globally. Directly comparable in PE/VC deal-making focus and sponsor base (limited partners, GPs), competing for the same institutional investor audience AFF serves.

Regional players

• Asia-Pacific Financial Forum (APEC): APEC's financial-sector initiative providing platforms for dialogue among Asia-Pacific financial policymakers and industry. Overlaps with AFF in policy and thought-leadership focus on the Asia financial ecosystem but with a more governmental mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: One of the world's largest tech and business conferences with regional events. Overlaps with AFF in startup showcase, investor matchmaking, and sponsor base, though broader in scope beyond financial services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AFF_HK
• YouTubeyoutu.be/UhKfgBn-vfo
• Facebookfacebook.com/hktdc.hk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asian-financial-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asian Financial Forum (AFF)