Author: Jame DiBiasio Media Entrepreneur; Chair of FinEx Club Fintech & DeFi Committee Financial Executive Club (FinEx Club) Research Centre Research Analyst: James Chow Hong Kong’s stablecoin regime matters because it is now testing whether licensed stablecoins can become useful market infrastructure for a tokenization economy. Hong Kong now has a full licensing regime for fiat-referenced stablecoin issuers, in force since August 2025, with detailed supervisory and AML/CFT g

Author: Biswajyoti (BJ) Upadhyay: Strategic Senior Advisor & Chairman of Global Transaction Banking Committee; Financial Executive Club (FinEx Club) Research Centre Valuable review and insights have been provided by Byron Gardiner, Chairman of Global Treasury Committee Research Analyst: Zhao JiaYi Emilia 1. The treasury problem in plain terms Stablecoins are advertised as a more affordable and quicker method for transferring funds. That's just the beginning for a corporate t

Authors: Lawrence Au & Margery Wong Chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the FinEx Club Assets Servicing Committee Financial Executive Club (FinEx Club) Research Centre Research Analyst: James Chow Last month, the supervisor of Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund industry announced the full onboarding of all 12 MPF trustees, five million members, 300,000 employers, and HK$1.5 trillion (US$192 billion) of assets onto the eMPF platform. It’s the most significant reform to

Authors: Lawrence Au Chair of the FinEx Club Assets Servicing Committee Financial Executive Club (FinEx Club) Research Centre Research Analyst: James Chow Hong Kong will align with over 80% of global cash market capital on a shortened settlement cycle Hong Kong’s cash market has operated on a trade plus two business days (T+2) settlement cycle for over three decades. The system provides market stability, efficiency, and reliability. But that framework is about to change with

Author: Biswajyoti (BJ) Upadhyay Strategic Senior Advisor & Chairman of Global Transaction Banking Committee Financial Executive Club (FinEx Club) Research Centre Research Analyst: Zhao JiaYi Emilia For markets, the Strait of Hormuz is priced as an oil risk. For Asia, it is a systemic one. The chokepoint connects Middle Eastern supply not only to Asia’s energy markets, but to its food security, manufacturing output and inflation dynamics. When shipping is disrupted, the stre

Author: Biswajyoti (BJ) Upadhyay Chairman, Global Transaction Banking Committee Financial Executive Club (FinEx Club) Research Centre Research Analyst: Zhao JiaYi Emilia When the Strait of Hormuz seized up in early 2026, a 97% collapse in tanker traffic, the shockwaves travelled far beyond the Gulf. For the world’s family offices, many of which had long treated Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha as their natural homes, the crisis was a reminder that geopolitical geography still matte

Author: Ken (Kin Tai) Cheung Co-Chairman, Financial and Global Markets Committee Financial Executive Club (FinEx Club) Research Centre Research Analyst: James Chow Skyrocketing oil prices, supply-driven inflation, global equity sell-offs, and treasury market turmoil have all stemmed from the closure of a narrow 33‑kilometer maritime corridor between Oman and Iran—the Strait of Hormuz. Despite its size, this chokepoint is critical to the global economy, particularly for the M

FinEx Club Research Centre Author: Andrew Chan, Asia Co-Chair FinEx Club Risk Management & Governance Committee Assistant: Research Analyst, Zhang Wenjia, Annie Abstract In non-financial sectors, risk management is often perceived as a support function, responding reactively to business needs and struggles to influence strategic decision-making. This paper argues that quantifying risk is the best way to bring risk into decision-making and increase the influence of risk profes

Author: Biswajyoti (BJ) Upadhyay Chairman, Global Transaction Banking Committee Financial Executive Club (FinEx Club) Research Centre Research Analyst: Zhao JiaYi Emilia The US dollar has long dominated the world oil markets to support the petrodollar system, which has consolidated financial and geopolitical power since the early 1970s following the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, leading to an agreement between the USA and Saudi Arabia. The gradual rise of RMB-based o