On 4 February 2026, the Greater Bay Area Green Finance Alliance (GBA-GFA) Annual Conference was successfully held in Shenzhen. Under the theme “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Green Finance Development and Jointly Building an Integrated Innovation Ecosystem in the GBA“, the conference convened 200+ representatives from government departments, financial institutions, industry, and entities across the GBA to review the progress achieved in 2025, share best practices, and propose initiatives for the betterment and high-quality development of the GBA.

Key highlights from Hong Kong representatives:

• Dr. Ma Jun, Honorary Chairman of the GBA-GFA and Chairman and President of HKGFA, delivered the opening remarks, noting that while green finance faces challenges such as weakening international participation and capital deviation, China and the Greater Bay Area are currently benefiting from favourable policies, market, and industries. Dr. Ma also shared prospects on refining transition finance standards, optimising carbon emission reduction support tools, as well as opportunities for green industry development in the GBA and cross-border mutual recognition of standards.

• Mr. Joseph Chan, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Government of Hong Kong SAR, delivered the keynote speech, highlighting the critical role of Hong Kong as an international financial center and a green finance center of the GBA. Looking ahead, he pointed out several key areas of green finance collaboration within the GBA, including standards harmonisation, carbon trading, as well as financing for green tech and green fintech projects.

• Mr. Donald Chen, Executive Director (Banking Policy) of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), shared insights on the recently published Hong Kong Taxonomy Phase 2A: 1) aligning with global standards while adapting to local context, 2) building market confidence through credibility and transparency, and 3) keeping pace with evolving challenges.

• To support industrial transition and corporate global expansion, Dr. Ivan Li, Executive Director at CGS International emphasised the need to push for more implementation and scaling of innovative green finance products such as CGT-labeled GSS+ bond baskets, thematic ETFs, etc. through policy incentives and capacity building.

• Ms. Alice Suen, Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Finance and Transition, Hong Kong at HSBC, and Vice President of HKGFA shared recent developments in the Northern Metropolis in Hong Kong, highlighting its potential to become a GBA hub for facilitating knowledge exchange and pilot case studies in green tech and green fintech. She also discussed how digitisation and the use of blockchain/AI can enhance transparency and lower greenwashing risks.

• Mrs. Florence Yip, Co-chair of HKGFA’s GBA-GFA Working Group, spoke at the Panel Session “Sustainable Investment Boosting Industrial Innovation and Development in the GBA” showcasing HKGFA’s efforts in pushing innovative financial products such as green securitsation and climate funds to facilitate cross-border green financing for key industries in the region.

• Dr. Qu Kang, Managing Director, Sustainability Strategy & Deputy GM at Bank of China (Hong Kong), and Vice President of HKGFA, spoke at the Panel Session “Sustainability Disclosure in the Greater Bay Area — Building a Transparent Framework for Cross-Border Mutual Recognition” where he discussed the current industry pain points in fragmentation of standards and called for more policy guidance and measures to align disclosure standards to improve transparency and investor confidence.

The event was hosted by the Shenzhen Green Finance Association; HKGFA supported the event as a member of the GBA-GFA. Together with the respective associations and our members, HKGFA will continue to actively work towards harmonising standards, facilitating transitions, promoting disclosure practices, and building capacity in the Greater Bay Area and beyond.