The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Octopus Cards Limited relating to fraudul… read more
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present the 2026 “Tan Dun WE-Festival” in early December. Curated by Hong Kong’s Ambassador for Cultural Promotion and internationally renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun, the Festival features the first joint performance by two prestigious national art troupes – the China National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) and the CNSO Chorus, in Hong Kong, presenting timeless masterpieces by Beethoven and Mozart, as well as well-known pieces of Tan. Two symphonic choral concerts blending Eastern and Western classical elegance will be staged, alongside a free concert paired with a pre-concert symposium. Tickets will go on sale from October 28 (Wednesday).
“9&9” (December 2)
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This opening concert will feature Tan’s “9” (Hong Kong premiere), the world’s first choral concerto. Rooted in the “Nine Songs” by Chu poet Qu Yuan from “Chu Ci” while reconstructing the exact core orchestra and choral size as the premiere of Beethoven’s “Symphony No.9”, the work infuses distinctive Eastern percussion and chanting into a Western orchestral framework, reimagining the sacrificial ritual music of the ancient Chu people. This masterpiece initiates a transcendent, cross-temporal musical dialogue with the “Symphony No. 9”, which comes next on the programme. Joining the performance are four outstanding vocalists – soprano Louise Kwong, mezzo-soprano Niru Liu, tenor Li Yi and bass Yang Yi.
“Mozart and Ode To Joy” (December 3)
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The second concert will open with the grand and spirited strains of Beethoven’s Overture to “The Creatures of Prometheus”. This is followed by Mozart’s sublime classic, “Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat”, which will be performed by rising stars violinist Nina Wong and violist Yan Lok Hoi. The second half features another rendition of the choral concerto “9”, culminating in Beethoven’s immortal “Ode to Joy”, which highlights the perfect harmony of Eastern and Western philosophy and artistic form.
The two above-mentioned concerts will be held at 8pm at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $250, $350, $450 and $550 will be available from October 28 (Wednesday) onwards at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. A 30 per cent early bird discount will be offered from October 28 to November 10 for any purchase of standard tickets for the concerts.
“Feng Ya Song & Ode to Joy – A Transcendent Dialogue between Tan Dun and Beethoven” (December 5)
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The Festival also extends its reach with a free pre-concert symposium and a subsequent concert to be held at the Hall of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The pre-concert symposium will host a dialogue between the Director and Executive Director of the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Germany, Malte Boecker, and Tan. In the subsequent concert, young violinists Nina Wong and Alvin Chan, violist Lawrence Wong and cellist Nie Jiapeng will perform Tan’s string quartet “Feng Ya Song” and works inspired by Beethoven. Admission is free, with limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.
First held in 2023, the “Tan Dun WE-Festival” leverages this East-meets-West musical celebration to establish Hong Kong as an international stage for cultural and arts exchanges, showcasing the city’s unique advantage as a melting pot of Chinese and Western cultures. This year, numerous local young musicians have been invited to participate in the Festival, sharing the stage with artists from various regions to ignite creativity and deliver fresh artistic visions.
For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_2026.html.
The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, chaired the sixth meeting of the Coordination Group on Implementation of Fintech Initiatives (CGFin) today (October 26) and conducted exchanges with representatives from financial regulators, the fintech sector and academia on the latest developments in fintech in Hong Kong.
Hui said, “The Government attaches great importance to promoting the development of fintech. According to the latest Global Financial Centres Index Report released last month, Hong Kong retains top global ranking in fintech offering, underscoring Hong Kong’s position as a global fintech hub. The work of CGFin is conducive to fostering cross-sectoral co-ordination and co-operation. Taking reference from the valuable views of the industry representatives, the Government and financial regulators will keep up the multipronged approach to facilitate fintech development, including enhancing financial infrastructure, further enriching the fintech ecosystem, nurturing fintech talent, as well as strengthening connections and collaboration with other places.”
Various fintech topics were covered at the meeting today, including the proposed regulatory regimes for virtual asset dealing, custodian, advisory and management service providers. The financial regulators also updated the meeting on their progress in adopting AI in the financial market. In addition, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) briefed the meeting on the latest developments of the Project Ensemble, the quantum preparedness of Hong Kong’s banking sector, as well as the Commercial Data Interchange and Project CargoX.
The meeting noted that Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026, themed “Fintech Nexus: Bridging the World, Building the Future”, will be held from November 2 to 6 in conjunction with the StartmeupHK Festival, with the main conference to be staged on November 2 and 3 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Entering its 11th edition, this annual global flagship event will continue to attract participants from across relevant sectors globally. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and Invest Hong Kong will capitalise on the event to collaborate with various participating parties and the industry and showcase the vitality of Hong Kong’s fintech ecosystem to the global markets.
CGFin is chaired by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury with members including representatives from the HKMA, the Securities and Futures Commission, the Insurance Authority, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council, Invest Hong Kong, Cyberport, and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited (HKMC) today (October 26) announced the highlights of its interim results for 2026.
Business Highlights
The HKMC and its subsidiaries continued to fulfil their core missions and social objectives, contributing to the steady growth of Hong Kong’s economy amid an increasingly complex and evolving environment. The missions of the HKMC are to promote: the stability of the banking sector, wider home ownership, the development of the local debt market, and the development of the retirement planning market.
Asset Purchase
The Task Group on New Medical School, cochaired by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, and the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, convened its fifth meeting today (October 26) to receive a progress report from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on the preparatory work for the establishment of the third medical school.
Since the establishment of the Working Group on Programme and Faculty Development, the Working Group on Hospital Teaching and Research Support, as well as the Working Group on Financing and Infrastructure Development under the Task Group in the first quarter of this year, have each held several meetings over the past six months or so. Representatives from relevant government bureaux and departments, the Hospital Authority (HA), together with expert advisors have worked closely with the HKUST team across key areas of the preparatory work, closely monitoring the implementation progress of the new medical school project and providing professional advice to ensure that the preparatory work advances steadily.
Regarding programme and faculty development, following the appointment of Professor Li King-chuen as the Founding Dean of Medicine in June this year, the HKUST subsequently put forward a staffing plan for academic and administrative staff from 2026 to 2030. The HKUST is accelerating the recruitment of teaching and research staff, with priority given to appointing clinical faculty members of key departments. The HKUST has also proposed the overarching framework and subject outlines for its four-year graduate-level entry medical programme, encompassing multiple themes such as evidence-based and precision medicine, professionalism, ethics and compassion, quality and safety, as well as technology and AI. The programme will integrate basic sciences with early clinical exposure, incorporate primary healthcare components and more, and arrange preparation prior to clinical practicums.
With the support of the Working Group on Hospital Teaching and Research Support, the HKUST will use Kai Tak Hospital as its primary interim teaching hospital. The HA and the HKUST have established a multilevel co-operation and communication mechanism and channel. On the premise of ensuring daily operations of the hospital and safeguarding public healthcare services, the HA will provide support for the HKUST’s teaching and research.
Prior to the completion of a permanent campus in the Northern Metropolis, the HKUST will utilise the Medical Education and Research Complex on its Clear Water Bay campus as its primary teaching and research venue. The groundbreaking of the Complex was conducted in April 2026, and the Complex is expected to be completed by 2028 to welcome the first cohort of students to be admitted in the same year. Meanwhile, the Government is working actively with the HKUST and the HA to press ahead with the integrated design and co-ordinated construction of the medical school campus and the integrated teaching and research hospital in the San Tin University Town.
The Task Group also noted that the accreditation work by the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) for the HKUST’s medical programme is proceeding in an orderly manner, and its accreditation committee conducted an accreditation visit to the HKUST in October.
To ensure that the HKUST implements the various key tasks of the new medical school project in an orderly manner and to set out the support to be provided by the Government, the Government and the HKUST have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which came into effect in September this year. The MOU covers areas including financial arrangements, curriculum accreditation, clinical teaching, faculty recruitment and capital works.
Professor Lo said, “I would like to express sincere gratitude to the HKUST team for advancing the preparatory work of the new medical school at full speed with an efficient and pragmatic attitude. Encouraging and substantial progress has been made in various critical tasks. The Medical Education and Research Complex at the Clear Water Bay is soon to be topped out, and the HKUST is also working intensively to accelerate the recruitment of teaching and research staff to align with the admission timeline of the first cohort of students, which fully demonstrates the HKUST’s execution capability. The Task Group noted that the MCHK’s accreditation process for the HKUST’s medical programme is proceeding in an orderly manner, and that the curriculum design and academic framework of the medical programme have largely taken shape. Meanwhile, the HKUST and the HA are working together to finalise the collaboration arrangements for using Kai Tak Hospital as the interim teaching hospital, with the framework for clinical teaching and research support gradually being put in place. These developments are the result of the close collaboration between the HKUST team and the Task Group as well as its working groups. The Government will continue to render its full support to the HKUST in taking forward all preparatory works, enabling the new medical school to admit its first cohort of students in the 2028/29 academic year as scheduled. Taking this as a starting point, it will cultivate medical professionals with both clinical and scientific research capabilities for Hong Kong, with a view to responding to the healthcare demands brought by an ageing population, and promote the development of Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub.”
Dr Choi said, “The establishment of the new medical school is an important milestone in the development of Hong Kong’s higher education. It will not only effectively expand capacity and enhance quality for medical education, but also further consolidate and enhance Hong Kong’s position as an international post-secondary education hub. The Government has earlier announced in the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) and the Chief Executive’s 2026 Policy Address the development of three university towns in the Northern Metropolis, based on the concept of a town area, including the San Tin University Town, which will be positioned to focus on the development of medicine, life and health technology, among other areas. In this connection, we will continue to render full support to the HKUST in taking forward the establishment of the new medical school at the San Tin University Town campus area, and work hand in hand to advance this strategically significant project, thereby complementing the two existing medical schools in a positive manner, jointly building a more comprehensive and diversified medical education ecosystem, and nurturing more outstanding medical talent with international vision, humanistic care and innovative thinking. The new medical school will further strengthen Hong Kong’s competitive advantages in international higher education and medical training, and attract more outstanding academics, students and research projects to establish a presence in the city. The Task Group will continue to work closely together to ensure the high-quality and high-standard development of the new medical school, inject strong momentum into the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town, and provide strong talent support for the country and Hong Kong.”
In November last year, the Chief Executive in Council approved the establishment of the third medical school and gave approval in principle for the new medical school to be established by the HKUST, with the target of admitting the first cohort of 50 students in the 2028/29 academic year.
The Task Group was established in October 2024, comprising seasoned local, Mainland and overseas academics in medical education and university management, professionals, representatives from the MCHK and the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, as well as representatives from the relevant government bureaux and departments.
