General information

Population

7.4M

Online population

7.1M

Currency

HKD

Market overview

Population - 7.4M

At the start of 2025, 100% of Hong Kong’s population lived in urban centres.

Internet penetration - 96%

There [were](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-hong-kong#:~:text=The state of digital in Hong Kong in 2024&text=There were 7.17 million internet,percent of the total population.) 7.1M internet users in Hong Kong at the start of 2025.

FinTech Outlook: Trends, Insight & Technology

In 2025, Hong Kong’s fintech scene is thriving. It is one of Asia’s most diverse fintech hubs, with over 1,100 firms spanning payments, wealthtech, insurtech, regtech, and green finance, green-fintech and AI-driven fintech. Everyday payments are digital by default, regulators are building rails for cross-border finance, and capital markets are moving toward faster, more transparent infrastructure.

As of early 2025, Hong Kong is home to ten unicorns, spanning fintech and broader tech sectors. This growth is powered in part by government-backed innovation hubs like

**Cyberport** —which nurtures over 400 fintech ventures and has produced unicorn alumni such as WeLab and ZA International—and the **Hong Kong Science & Technology Park (HKSTP)**, which supports over 1,200 startups and has helped cultivate 12 unicorns via its incubation programs. Together, these platforms cement Hong Kong’s regional leadership, transforming it from a financial center into a thriving launchpad for Asia-bound tech innovation.

• Hong Kong’s Faster Payment System (FPS) is almost universal. With 16+ million registrations(in a city of just 7.5 million people), it handles over HK$12 billion in transactions daily.
• The new Payment Connect now allows both residents and businesses to send instant, small-value remittances simply using a mobile number or account ID—24/7, cross-border between Hong Kong and Mainland China.
• FINI platform and Integrated Fund Platform

Hong Kong has been modernizing its financial infrastructure with two key government-backed initiatives. The FINI platform, launched by HKEX on November 22, 2023, shortens IPO settlement from five business days to two (T+2), while the **Integrated Fund Platform (IFP)**, rolled out in late 2024, centralizes 2,000+ investment funds for easier access and comparison. Both platforms aim to improve efficiency, increase transparency, and reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a leading financial hub. In 2025, their impact is clear: faster IPOs, smoother fund access, and a more digital, investor-friendly market—offering a concrete example of how fintech can modernize traditional finance.

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FinTech 2025 strategy: Is Hong Kong on track? In June 2021, the HKMA launched the “Fintech 2025” strategy with five core objectives: encouraging all banks to embrace fintech end-to-end, preparing for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), building next-generation data infrastructure, growing a fintech-savvy workforce, and nurturing an ecosystem through funding and policy support. As of mid-2025, Hong Kong is firmly on track (details below).

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✅ What Has Been Done

• Banks assessed and pushed to go digital

Since 2022, the HKMA has checked how ready banks are for fintech. This has pushed them to adopt AI, blockchain, and greener finance tools.