HSBC Global Investment Summit

Day one of the HSBC Global Investment Summit brought together global leaders in Hong Kong to explore the forces reshaping the world economy.

HSBC Group Chairman Brendan Nelson set the scene with opening remarks framing the central question for the week: how unprecedented change is rewiring the global economy through new networks of influence, finance, trade and innovation.

We heard from HSBC Group CEO Georges Elhedery, who shared his thoughts on the reshaping of global economics and finance, and how HSBC plans to be at the forefront of this change.

In a welcome address, John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, highlighted Hong Kong’s status as a leading international financial centre and its unique role connecting China with the rest of the world.

Another session brought together two of the city’s business leaders: Hui Kuok, Chairman and Group CEO, Shangri-La Group and Lincoln Pan, Chief Executive Officer, Jardine Matheson, to discuss how they’re driving growth.

New networks of influence

Experts examined how shifting networks of influence are reshaping the backdrop for investment, trade and security.

Prof. Peter Frankopan set the context through history, arguing we’re entering a period of strategic rivalry driven by competition over energy and geography.

Former diplomats then discussed the factors influencing global stability. Energy remained a key theme, including a debate on how Asia may shape the future of its regional energy security.

In the afternoon, we tackled big-picture ideas: Prof. Eswar Prasad explored globalisation at an inflection point, while Dr. Parag Khanna and Dr. Pippa Malmgren discussed how geography is shaping the next world order - from AI and strategic influence to infrastructure connectivity and the competition for talent.

Global economic powerhouses

Panels explored how economic power is shifting across major markets.

Economists compared the growth models of China and India, looking at how both are reshaping Asia’s trajectory amid headwinds such as softer external demand, rising domestic ambitions and shifting capital flows.

A separate session focused on ASEAN, with an investor, a CEO and a former policymaker discussing the emerging opportunities - and the policy coordination needed to turn “Asia buying Asia” into faster execution on investment and integration.

Europe’s outlook also featured, with speakers from central banking, the European Commission and a major German bank discussing how public finance, industrial policy and private capital could support a long-term return to growth.

The power of private markets

The day ended with a clear takeaway: private markets are no longer a niche - they’re reshaping how capital is raised, allocated and put to work.

Leaders from global asset managers explained how private credit, hybrid capital and insurance-backed allocators are becoming central to corporate funding.

With inflows accelerating from institutions and wealth investors, speakers also explored how investor expectations and product design are changing the structure and scale of financial markets.

We closed the day with venture capital, where investors from China, India and the US compared how technology shifts are influencing which innovations get funded - and where the next growth opportunities may emerge.

The second day of the HSBC Global Investment Summit explored the new networks of finance and trade that are rewiring the global economy.

Michael Roberts opened Wednesday’s session. He said a decade of volatility has strengthened business and investor resilience, accelerating three trends: a rewiring of globalisation, innovation in cross-border flows, and Asia’s rise as an economic centre.

These themes were picked up by Dr Janet Yellen, who shared her views on inflation trends, monetary policy outlook, as well as the future status of the US dollar.

Finance in a changing world

We moved from policy to portfolio, in a conversation with Bob Prince, Chair of the Board and Co-Chief Investment Officer, Bridgewater Associates. With Ida Liu, he talked about the dynamics of global asset allocation as risk and volatility remain elevated.

The evolving function of stock exchanges was the subject of the next session, which brought together leaders from three of the world’s most significant bourses: Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, the London Stock Exchange, and the New York Stock Exchange.

Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, described how the city’s role as an international financial centre provides stability amid global uncertainty.

Understanding digital assets

The Summit continued to show how the future of finance is already here.

A panel spanning traditional and digital market infrastructure, plus a senior policymaker, talked about who will set the rules - and capture the economics - of digital assets.

In terms of specific assets, we heard the Co-Founder of Circle describe how stablecoins are becoming the settlement and liquidity layer that underpins the digital assets market.

A separate session built on this theme by investigating the institution-grade infrastructure that will enable investors and other market participants to move, manage, and settle digital assets at scale.

Allocating to alternatives

Leaders in alternatives focused on the growing status of private assets as a core holding.

The rise of private credit was highlighted by Michael Arougheti, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ares, who shared how it’s reshaping long-term returns.

Infrastructure landed as a growing investor focus, with a diversified power producer CEO discussing how private capital can help close the funding gap.

While Asia featured as a hub for private capital, with insurance and asset management CEOs discussing where they see the biggest opportunities.

Reinventing global trade

As the sessions progressed, we looked at how global trade is being reshaped by geopolitical volatility, shifting regulation, and supply-chain realignment - making trust more important than ever.

We examined how energy shocks and commodity supply pressures could influence growth and monetary policy, and what policymakers can do ahead of the next cycle. In a separate discussion, Prof. Kenneth Rogoff assessed the outlook for the US dollar.

The Summit closed with luxury leaders on how premium brands are moving into digital while protecting culture, creativity, and long-term value.

Here are the highlights from the third and final day of the HSBC Global Investment Summit.

The theme of the day was the new networks of innovation that are disrupting everything from our individual day-to-day lives to the business models of global corporations. Surendra Rosha, Co-CEO, Asia and the Middle East, HSBC, set the scene by laying out how the bank of the future will compete in a frictionless financial system, where AI and tokenised assets introduce new efficiencies – and new risks.

AI’s exceptional potential

Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell expanded on this topic, by arguing that AI is not a replacement of human capabilities, but an enhancement that increases the value of skills unique to people – such as empathy and trust.

The widespread adoption of AI is expected by many to result in extraordinary economic change. Senior executives from two technology leaders – Perplexity and Tencent – considered how AI will optimise value across infrastructure, platforms, and intelligent systems – creating new industry champions, while generating long-term returns.

We also saw AI in the real world, with two of China’s most innovative companies – BrainCo and LimX Dynamics – presenting their latest inventions. We witnessed the incredible capabilities of a bionic hand, before we were treated to a live on-stage interaction with humanoid robot Oli X.

Business models in flux

The CEO of State Street Investment Management explained how the company is using tools like AI and data to help shape the future of the investment industry and drive long-term value.

New forms of money will likely define the next digital era. We heard from Joe Lubin, Co-Founder, Ethereum; Founder and CEO, Consensys, who talked about how decentralised trust could redefine how value moves, along with the potential for collaboration with traditional finance.

Not all innovation relies on technology, as the business of sport has become one of the most competitive arenas for capital. Investors shared what they think separates sustainable, scalable sports investments from short-term, opportunistic plays.

And finally, Maggie Ng, CEO, Hong Kong, HSBC, closed the show with her overall reflections on the Summit, tying together the three broad themes of the event – the new networks of influence, finance and trade, and innovation – and explaining the implications for investors.