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TOP NEWS

Crypto Money Laundering Reaches USD82bn in 2025, Chainalysis Says

Crypto money laundering surged in 2025, with criminals receiving at least USD82bn in illicit cryptocurrency flows, according to a report by blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. Crypto money laundering volumes rose sharply from about USD10bn in 2020, driven in part by rapid growth among Chinese-speaking networks. Chainalysis said the fastest-growing segment, Chinese-language money-laundering networks that emerged during the pandemic, processed nearly USD40m a day last year.

REGULATION

24 hours ago

Strategic Interdependency: Family Offices' Shift to Outsourcing and Agility

The "Lean Operator" Model The "lean operator" model marks a pivotal evolution for family offices in 2026, shifting from the isolated "fortress" model to a networked structure where core teams excel in high-level general judgment rather than technical execution. Driven by escalating operational complexity, regulatory demands, and talent shortages, offices recognize that full in-house capabilities across asset classes are unsustainable. Small, elite internal teams now act as st

FOCUS

1 day ago

Chan Says Hong Kong Private Equity Hub Well Placed to Lead Asia

Hong Kong private equity hub prospects remain strong as the city positions itself to lead Asia’s private markets, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said. Chan said Hong Kong hosts more than 650 private equity firms with assets under management of about USD230bn, supported by deep liquidity in asset and wealth management, a rapidly expanding family office ecosystem and strong capital inflows. He highlighted opportunities in hard technology including artificial intelligence,

PRIVATE EQUITY

24 hours ago

FSDC Says Hong Kong Well Placed to Link Asian Capital with African Projects

Hong Kong Asia-Africa investment corridor ambitions are gaining momentum, with the city well placed to link Asian capital with African infrastructure projects, according to a report by the Financial Services Development Council. The FSDC said Hong Kong can serve as a premier gateway connecting long-term capital from institutional investors and family offices with projects across Belt and Road Initiative economies in Africa. It highlighted opportunities for Hong Kong to export

ASSET MANAGEMENT

24 hours ago

Asia-Pacific Investors Lead Global Push into Private Markets, Aviva Says

Asia-Pacific private markets allocations are set to rise as regional investors show the strongest conviction globally, Aviva Investors said. In Asia-Pacific, only 9% of institutional investors plan to cut private market exposure, while 49% expect to increase allocations, broadly in line with a global trend where 88% plan to add. Aviva said Asia-Pacific investors are also most enthusiastic about the illiquidity premium, cited by 58%, as improved data helps calibrate allocation

ASSET MANAGEMENT

24 hours ago

Hong Kong Family Office Sector Growth Seen at 10–15% Annually

Hong Kong family office sector growth is expected to remain robust at 10% to 15% a year, reflecting a deepening wealth-management ecosystem, executives said at a recent industry summit. Speaking at the Insight Experts 2026 Investment Summit in Hong Kong, Yuan Miaoling, director of personal and business banking at China CITIC Bank International, said rising wealth in Asia and globally is underpinning demand, with family offices increasingly used to separate family assets from

FAMILY OFFICES

4 days ago

Founder-Led Family Offices AI Adoption Rises to Run Lean Operations

Founder-led family offices AI adoption is accelerating as smaller teams seek to automate operations without expanding headcount, Amin Naj, founder of Circle Family Office, said. Founder-led family offices AI adoption is accelerating as smaller teams seek to automate operations without expanding headcount, Amin Naj, founder of Circle Family Office, said. Naj said his team reviewed major AI models over six months to assess how founder-led family offices can reduce administrativ

FAMILY OFFICES

4 days ago

Hong Kong Asian Financial Forum Ends After Drawing Over 4,000 Leaders

Hong Kong Asian Financial Forum concluded after drawing more than 4,000 global leaders from over 60 countries and regions, reinforcing the city’s role as an international financial hub. The two-day Asian Financial Forum, co-hosted by the HKSAR government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, featured more than 150 speakers and launched an inaugural Global Business Summit. Former European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso warned of instability from technological

FAMILY OFFICES

4 days ago

AI-for-Finance Hubs: New York, London and Hong Kong Lead Index

AI-for-finance hubs are increasingly defined by production-grade deployment rather than experimentation, according to Deep Knowledge Group’s Global AI Competitiveness Index. The report ranked the United States first among countries, followed by China, Britain, Switzerland and Singapore for AI-for-finance capability and maturity. In the city-hub ranking, New York placed first, London second and Hong Kong third, citing connectivity, institutional concentration and regulated-mar

ASSET MANAGEMENT

4 days ago

Asian Financial Forum Opens in Hong Kong with Global Outlook Focus

The Asian Financial Forum opened in Hong Kong as global policymakers and finance executives gathered to discuss the global outlook and reinforce the city’s position as an international financial centre and a bridge between mainland China and global markets. The 19th Asian Financial Forum, co-organised by the Hong Kong government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, is being held under the theme “Co-creating New Horizons amid an Evolving Landscape” with the tagline “Fi

FAMILY OFFICES

5 days ago

Thailand Fund Assets Rise on Strong Gains in Gold Funds

Thailand fund assets rose in 2025 as investors turned to safe havens, with strong performance in gold-related funds lifting the market. Thailand fund assets increased 1.67% to THB3.65tr (USD117bn) at end-2025, according to Morningstar Direct data shared with Asia Asset Management. Four Singapore-based Eastspring Investments funds, all gold-focused, topped performance rankings, led by the Eastspring Gold Bullion Retirement Mutual Fund – Currency Hedged, which returned 59.07%,

ASSET MANAGEMENT

5 days ago

AI-Driven Overhaul Set to Reshape Trade Finance, Bank Executives Say

AI trade finance is set to move beyond digitising paperwork towards redesigning end-to-end processes, bank executives said at a Hong Kong forum during International Financial Week 2026. HSBC’s head of global trade solutions Raluca Popa said digitalisation often replicates existing workflows, while the next phase will require rethinking processes to expand access to financing. She said AI trade finance systems could connect directly to clients’ accounting or enterprise resourc

ASSET MANAGEMENT

5 days ago

Hong Kong and South Korea Explore Mutual ETF Listings

Hong Kong is in talks with South Korea on mutual ETF listings that would allow exchange-traded funds tracking each other’s stock markets, highlighting Hong Kong’s role as a gateway to global capital. Financial Secretary Paul Chan said about half of stock market capital comes from global institutional investors, with mainland China’s southbound flows and local investors each accounting for around a quarter. He added that more than 400 companies are in Hong Kong’s IPO pipeline,

ASSET MANAGEMENT

5 days ago

Hong Kong Asia Financial Forum Highlights City’s Role as Global Finance Hub

Hong Kong Asia Financial Forum took centre stage as Chief Executive John Lee opened the two-day event by urging confidence despite heightened geopolitical tensions, positioning the city as a resilient international finance hub. Speaking at the Asia Financial Forum, Lee said “one country, two systems” underpins Hong Kong’s rule of law, free flow of capital and low-tax regime. He pointed to rising business activity, including a record 11,070 foreign- and Mainland-affiliated com

FAMILY OFFICES

6 days ago

PEOPLE MOVES

Blackstone Plans Asia Hiring Push to Tap Private Market Demand

6 days ago

Raffles Family Office Names Ex-BNP Paribas Banker as Managing Director

Jan 27

Wisdom Group Multi-Family Office Names Arthur Fong as Managing Director

Jan 26

Fiera Expands Japan Private Markets Distribution With Senior Hire

Jan 20

HSBC Private Bank Strengthens Asia Wealth Planning With Senior Hires

Jan 20

UBS Strengthens APAC Wealth Management With Senior Investment Hire

Jan 9

Hong Kong Investment Funds Association Appoints Paula Ip as CEO

Jan 6

Family Office Talent Crunch Intensifies Despite High Pay

Jan 6

Citi to Add Japan Dealmakers as M&A Boom Rolls On

Dec 25, 2025

HSBC Names Ida Liu CEO of Private Bank as Wealth Competition Intensifies

Dec 23, 2025

VIDEO RECAP
w/e 30th January 2026

INSIGHTS

INTERVIEW: Shield Xiao Dun | 17EdTech

Wealth Office

EVENTS

Federated Hermes to Open Hong Kong Office in Asia Expansion

Federated Hermes Hong Kong office plans mark a further expansion of the US asset manager’s Asia-Pacific footprint as it seeks to deepen relationships with private banks, family offices and institutional investors. The firm said the Hong Kong office, announced at the Asia Financial Forum, is subject to regulatory approvals and will support a consultative distribution model across the region. Jim Roland, head of distribution for APAC, said a Hong Kong presence will allow Federa

ASSET MANAGEMENT

6 days ago

China Backs Hong Kong’s Role in Global Yuan Financing

Hong Kong yuan financing received fresh support after the People’s Bank of China said it will deepen financial market links between the mainland and Hong Kong to facilitate global investment and financing in renminbi. PBOC Deputy Governor Zou Lan said more than 800 overseas institutional investors have accessed China’s onshore bond market via Bond Connect through Hong Kong, with holdings exceeding RMB810bn (USD113bn), about a quarter of total foreign bond holdings. Bond tradi

ASSET MANAGEMENT

6 days ago

Blackstone Plans Asia Hiring Push to Tap Private Market Demand

Blackstone Asia hiring plans are accelerating as the alternative asset manager looks to capture rising private market demand from individual investors, Ed Huang, its Asia-Pacific private wealth head, said. Blackstone has roughly doubled its regional team over the past two years and is expanding in Japan, adding staff in Australia and placing people on the ground in South Korea. Huang said the firm sees strong potential in offering private equity and private credit products to

ASSET MANAGEMENT

6 days ago

Hong Kong MPF Authority Suspends eKYC Registration on eMPF Platform

Hong Kong’s MPF Authority has suspended eKYC registration on the eMPF platform after fraudsters used forged smart identity cards to impersonate scheme members, chairwoman Ayesha Macpherson Lau said. She said no personal data was leaked from the system. The suspension of Hong Kong MPF eKYC registration follows the discovery that about 80% of users had registered via the government’s iAM Smart digital identity app, with the remainder using eKYC. With enhanced authentication bei

REGULATION

Jan 27

Hong Kong Approves 14 Re-Domiciliation Bids Under New Regime

Hong Kong has approved 14 company re-domiciliation applications under its new regime, signalling growing interest from global financial institutions, Financial Services and the Treasury Secretary Christopher Hui said. The approvals include French insurer AXA, which has completed the transfer of its regional insurance unit from Bermuda to Hong Kong. AXA Hong Kong and Macau said AXA China Region Insurance Company (Bermuda) has re-domiciled to the city and been renamed AXA China

REGULATION

Jan 27

Raffles Family Office Names Ex-BNP Paribas Banker as Managing Director

Raffles Family Office has appointed former BNP Paribas banker Pradinan Arkarachinores as managing director for relationship management, strengthening its advisory capabilities for ultra-high-net-worth clients. The Singapore-based multi-family office said Arkarachinores will lead a team overseeing portfolios for Asian UHNW families, with a focus on relationship management, strategic advisory and the delivery of tailored wealth solutions. She will report to Kendrick Lee, the gr

PEOPLE MOVES

Jan 27

ALL NEWS

TOP NEWS

Crypto Money Laundering Reaches USD82bn in 2025, Chainalysis Says

Strategic Interdependency: Family Offices' Shift to Outsourcing and Agility

Chan Says Hong Kong Private Equity Hub Well Placed to Lead Asia

FSDC Says Hong Kong Well Placed to Link Asian Capital with African Projects

Asia-Pacific Investors Lead Global Push into Private Markets, Aviva Says

Hong Kong Family Office Sector Growth Seen at 10–15% Annually

Founder-Led Family Offices AI Adoption Rises to Run Lean Operations

Hong Kong Asian Financial Forum Ends After Drawing Over 4,000 Leaders

AI-for-Finance Hubs: New York, London and Hong Kong Lead Index

Asian Financial Forum Opens in Hong Kong with Global Outlook Focus

Thailand Fund Assets Rise on Strong Gains in Gold Funds

AI-Driven Overhaul Set to Reshape Trade Finance, Bank Executives Say

Hong Kong and South Korea Explore Mutual ETF Listings

Hong Kong Asia Financial Forum Highlights City’s Role as Global Finance Hub

PEOPLE MOVES

Blackstone Plans Asia Hiring Push to Tap Private Market Demand

Raffles Family Office Names Ex-BNP Paribas Banker as Managing Director

Wisdom Group Multi-Family Office Names Arthur Fong as Managing Director

Fiera Expands Japan Private Markets Distribution With Senior Hire

HSBC Private Bank Strengthens Asia Wealth Planning With Senior Hires

UBS Strengthens APAC Wealth Management With Senior Investment Hire

Hong Kong Investment Funds Association Appoints Paula Ip as CEO

Family Office Talent Crunch Intensifies Despite High Pay

Citi to Add Japan Dealmakers as M&A Boom Rolls On

HSBC Names Ida Liu CEO of Private Bank as Wealth Competition Intensifies

VIDEO RECAP w/e 30th January 2026

INSIGHTS

EVENTS

Federated Hermes to Open Hong Kong Office in Asia Expansion

China Backs Hong Kong’s Role in Global Yuan Financing

Blackstone Plans Asia Hiring Push to Tap Private Market Demand

Hong Kong MPF Authority Suspends eKYC Registration on eMPF Platform

Hong Kong Approves 14 Re-Domiciliation Bids Under New Regime

Raffles Family Office Names Ex-BNP Paribas Banker as Managing Director

VIDEO RECAP
w/e 30th January 2026