Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has granted a banking licence to Bakai Bank, marking the first Central Asian bank to set up in Hong Kong amid closer ties in the economy and trade flows between China and the region, according to a statement on Monday.
Bakai Bank, one of the largest lenders in Kyrgyzstan, will operate as a restricted licence bank in Hong Kong. It will be the 17th restricted licence bank in Hong Kong.
Under the licence, it can take deposits of at least HK$500,000 (US$63,776)...
Eight more companies from countries belonging to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative have applied to list in Hong Kong, the city’s trade promotion chief has revealed.
Frederick Ma Si-hang, chairman of the Trade Development Council, also said on Monday the city’s economy would benefit from improving China-US ties.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Global Youth Powerhouse Summit, Ma said interest in Hong Kong’s capital markets from Central Asia had surged after a high-level delegation led by Chief...
Southeast Asian governments are learning some hard truths about the data centre boom they spent years working to attract, analysts say – it promises jobs, digital infrastructure and a foothold in the AI economy, but the rapid buildout is also straining power grids, land and regulatory systems.
“There is this enthusiasm to attract investments, but now it raises the question: at what cost and at what speed?” said policy researcher Mark Manantan, a research fellow for the Centre for Global Security...
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The 11th Belt and Road Summit, which took place in Wan Chai on 9-10 September, brought together more than 6,200 top officials, business leaders and senior professionals from 70-plus B&R countries and regions to explore opportunities for further cooperation and partnerships.
Co-organised by the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the signature event gave attendees the chance to...
Malaysia was aflush with Formula One fever this weekend, rekindling talk of permanently bringing the race back to the Southeast Asian nation after a long hiatus – despite days of traffic chaos that left thousands of fans stranded for hours.
More than 260,000 people flocked to Sepang International Circuit in Selangor state for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was originally meant to be held in April but had to be postponed and relocated away from the Persian Gulf island nation due to security...
Midway through the Asian Games, China’s sports minister felt the need to issue a rallying cry despite the country again overwhelmingly dominating proceedings.
A week into competition, the delegation had already racked up 125 gold medals, won more swimming titles than ever before and were so far clear of the rest that one American press outlet half-jokingly suggested changing the name to the China Games.
In the final reckoning on Sunday, China’s tally was as follows: 169 gold, 89 silver and 83...
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1. ‘No brainer’: growing trend of Chinese tourists booking business-class flights
2. US to deploy NMESIS anti-ship system on Japanese island closest to Taiwan
3. Chinese art takes long march home from US museums
4. Malaysia offers Chinese buyers Singapore’s comfort at prices lower than Thailand
5....
A former South Korean lawmaker has called for the abolition of the military exemption system granted to outstanding national athletes, arguing that military service should not be used as an incentive for achievements in sports or the arts.
Yoo Seong-min’s remarks came amid controversy over comments made by members of South Korea’s men’s football team, who recently won its fourth consecutive Asian Games title, regarding the military benefits they received.
South Korea defeated host Japan 1-0 on...
Over 1,700 parents, students and educators attended the International Schools Festival – Hong Kong Island 2026. Held at Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel on September 19, it featured 46 schools and education advisers, and offered families guidance on admissions, curricula, university applications and future education planning.
Across five parent talks and 10 school-led information sessions, speakers returned to one central message: education should not be driven by fear or the pursuit of a...
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said that a near 20 per cent jump in revenue, strong viewership figures and a slew of world records proved the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games were a success, despite logistical problems plaguing the multi-sport showpiece.
The Games saw a catalogue of mishaps, from athletes bused to the wrong venues to the North Korean national anthem being played for the South Korean hockey team.
There were not enough beds for the more than 17,000 athletes and officials, a larger...
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George Long does not talk like a man selling vision. The founder, chairman and chief investment officer of LIM Advisors is understated and unshowy. After three decades running an independent firm in Hong Kong, what comes through is a temperament suited to difficult Asian markets: calm, pragmatic and focused on protecting capital when conditions turn.
How the business began
Long left Barclays’ Asia Pacific asset...
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The Link Hong Kong Open 2026 is set to host the ultimate ‘Par-tee’ for golf fans from across the region during its historic 65th staging of the world-famous tournament from October 22 to 25 at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. The Jockey Club Fan Village offers non-stop entertainment right near the green next to the first tee daily from 7:00am to 6:00pm.
Inside the bustling village, visitors of all ages can enjoy...
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Nine young construction competitors from the Construction Industry Council returned from WorldSkills Shanghai with three Medallions for Excellence, the strongest finish the CIC has recorded at the competition.
The honours went to Law Chak-sum in painting and decorating, Tse Yu-lok in welding, and the concrete construction work team of Huang To-kong and Wan Tsz-ho.
It was Hong Kong’s first WorldSkills honour in concrete...
The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya close on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on a fortnight of competition featuring some record-breaking performances.
Among the best performers were the two athletes named Asian Games MVPs: 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi and Thai track and field sprinter Boonson Puripol.
Yu, who won all three of her individual events with ease, said “I’m no prodigy” after being named the women’s MVP on Sunday.
The schoolgirl, who looks poised to take the Los Angeles 2028...
A range of public and private-sector Chinese buyers have acquired a total of 44 small-model Bell helicopters, often for sightseeing and corporate travel. This makes China the vendor’s second biggest market in the Asia-Pacific, with growing demand for more despite safety concerns surrounding rotary-wing aircraft, an aviation services firm said.
China lagged behind only South Korea in the total number of five-seat Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters, according to a statement by the Hong Kong-based...
What was meant to be a few glorious moments could spark policy reform in South Korea after post-match comments from a couple of gold-medal-winning footballers triggered heated debate.
South Korea beat hosts Japan 1-0 at the Toyota Stadium to win their fourth straight – and seventh overall – men’s football title at the Asian Games, leading to 20 of the 23-strong squad earning exemptions from military service.
While the exemption was not an exclusive perk for the country’s footballers but for all...
For American and Chinese people interested in the outcome of the latest summit between China’s President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, their conclusions could not be more different if they turn to the media and pundits for guidance.
Chinese state media spared no superlative, echoing the official description of the summit as: forging the right way for the major powers to get along and writing a new chapter in ties. It played up the fact that Trump gave Xi the highest-level reception...
The curtain came down on the Asian Games on Sunday, with officials hoping the fortnight in Japan would be remembered not for the chaos dogging every step but for the athletic performances that brought more than 150 world, junior and continental records.
In keeping with the overall approach of the Games, the closing ceremony was a strange affair, which felt a little like adults trying to be cool in a room full of teenagers.
The fact it took place in front of rows and rows of empty seats at a...
In the third instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on traditional Chinese medicine, Aidyn Fitzpatrick speaks to a Hong Kong fencer studying TCM and local practitioners to see how athletes, both elite and amateur, are using TCM alongside Western medicine for smarter injury recovery.
Fresh off helping Hong Kong clinch a bronze medal in the women’s foil team event at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, fencer Janelle Leung Ya-lei – ranked 53rd in the world – knows the fine margin between peak...
When Cado Lee Ka-to carries Hong Kong’s flag into the Paloma Mizuho Stadium on Sunday, he will do so at the head of what remains of the most successful Asian Games delegation in the city’s history.
While only a handful of the 580 athletes who made up the team will attend the closing ceremony, their impact will be felt far beyond the past fortnight, although it may be in what wasn’t achieved that a lasting legacy is created.
At first glance, an overall medal count of 54, only one more than the...
Japan is traditionally seen as a reliable host for major sporting events but an Asian Games dogged by organisational woes has tarnished that image and raised questions over future bids, experts say.
The Games in Aichi-Nagoya saw a catalogue of mishaps, from athletes bused to the wrong venues to the North Korean national anthem played for the South Korean hockey team.
There were not enough beds for the over 17,000 athletes and officials, a bigger number than the Olympics.
Countries complained of...
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I am writing in response to the op-ed, “3 easy wins to modernise Hong Kong’s education system” (September 4), particularly its argument that assessment must adapt to artificial intelligence.
The most useful change would not be another rule telling students whether artificial...
There has been a common theme running through Hong Kong’s Asian Games gold medallists when it comes to talking about the pressure of being on top: Siobhan Haughey and James Christie both referred to it as a privilege, and it would not be a surprise to discover it is an entirely alien concept to Coleman Wong Chak-lam.
Before Saturday, Hong Kong had never won a medal in men’s tennis at the Games, let alone gold. Faced with making history, adding another title to the city’s growing collection and...
Business-class flights, once largely the domain of company reps on paid trips, are becoming more popular among tourists in China who do not mind spending a bit extra for a comfortable ride from start to finish, industry insiders said.
Businesspeople once occupied 90 per cent of the spacious seats, but have lost that edge to leisure travellers who can buy their way out of economy class but not into first class, said Wong Hong, director general of the 18-member Association of Asia Pacific...