Business Daily Media

Times Advertising

.

Budget by Hong Kong SAR’s Financial Secretary: Accelerating Development through Reform and Innovation

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 26 February 2025 - Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region unveiled his 2025-26 Budget today (February 26). He noted that while geopolitical situation might bring risks, technology reform and artificial intelligence (AI) development are remoulding the global landscape, leading to the emergence of new industries, new forms of business, new products and new services.

He stressed that Hong Kong must seize the opportunity to make the most out of this critical window to speed up development, establishing the new before abolishing the old. He also emphasised that transformation and innovation will lead the way into the future, and the Government is poised to fast-track the high-quality development of Hong Kong's economy.

The Budget presents a series of measures aimed at accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces. On innovation and technology (I&T), the Government will promote Hong Kong into an international exchange and co-operation hub for the AI industry. Through frontier research and real-world application, the Government will endeavour to develop AI as a core industry and empower traditional industries in their upgrading and transformation. To spearhead and support Hong Kong's innovative research and development as well as industrial application of AI, the Government will establish the Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute and launch the Pilot Manufacturing and Production Line Upgrade Support Scheme (Manufacturing+). On finance, the Government will continue to take forward reforms to the listing regime, host the Hong Kong Global Financial and Industry Summit, and formulate a plan this year on promoting gold market development.

Hong Kong SAR’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivers the 2025-26 Budget in the Legislative Council.
Hong Kong SAR’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivers the 2025-26 Budget in the Legislative Council.

To seize the opportunities brought about by the rapid advancement of innovation and technology, the Budget highlights the need to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis, which is an investment in Hong Kong's future. The Government will continue to accord priority to providing resources for this initiative, which primarily includes providing large tracts of I&T land at the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, together with San Tin Technopole; adopting an innovative mindset in piloting "large-scale land disposal"; developing a data facility cluster at Sandy Ridge; as well as identifying suitable sites in the Northern Metropolis for the construction of conference and exhibition facilities.

On the promotion of tourism, funding will be allocated to pursue the concept of "tourism is everywhere" and implement the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry 2.0. A study will be conducted on the development of the waterfront and former sites to the south of the Hung Hom Station in Kowloon into a new harbourfront landmark in Kowloon, including a yacht club.

Regarding land supply, Mr Chan announced that the Government will not roll out any commercial site for sale in the coming year in view of the high vacancy rates of offices in recent years to allow the market to absorb the existing supply. The Government will also consider rezoning some of the commercial sites into residential use and allowing greater flexibility of land use.

The Budget presents a series of measures aimed at accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces.
The Budget presents a series of measures aimed at accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces.

Mr Chan proposed a reinforced version of the fiscal consolidation programme to focus on strictly controlling government expenditure, supplemented by increasing revenue, to restore fiscal balance in the Operating Account, in a planned and progressive manner, within the current term of the Government. The Government will also deliver more efficient public services to citizens through leveraging technology, streamlining processes and driving the digital transformation of public services. Mr Chan said he will uphold the "user pays" and the "affordable users pay" principles as far as practicable while increasing revenue, including increasing the air passenger departure tax, and reviewing the tolls of government tunnels and trunk roads. The Government will suitably expand the size of bond issuance on the premise of maintaining healthy public finances and use the funds raised on infrastructure works in a proper and flexible manner to invest in Hong Kong's future and create value for society.

More information about the 2025-26 Budget is available from www.budget.gov.hk.

Hashtag: #hongkong #brandhongkong #asiasworldcity #budget






The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

News from Asia

De Beers Group Celebrates Natural Diamonds, Culture And Long-Lasting Values

Showcase of 28.88-carat flawless diamond HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 23 April 2026 - De Beers Group brought the timeless allure of natural diamonds to Carlyle & Co on 21 April in...

NineSmart Smart Property Makes Appearance at HKBN Enterprise Solutions Event

Driving Intelligent Transformation of Property Management with AIoT HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 23 April 2026 - NineSmart attended the “AI-Powered Property Operations: From Strategy ...

Stable economy and digital transformation power Hong Kong SMEs to decade high performance, CPA Australia survey

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 23 April 2026 – Hong Kong's small businesses delivered their strongest performance in a decade in 2025, while confidence in the year ahead has climbed to ...

SoftwareOne named a Customers’ Choice in Gartner® Peer Insights™ Voice of the Customer for Software Asset Management Managed Services

Customers highlight SoftwareOne’s expertise and service quality in independent Gartner survey Zurich, Switzerland - EQS Newswire - 23 April 2026 – SoftwareOne, a leading software and cloud solution...

Galaxy Macau and HSBC Hong Kong Co-present an Exclusive Constellation of Stellar Rewards

Award‑winning luxury resort introduces a magnificent roster of bespoke privileges for HSBC Hong Kong cardholders, where elevated shopping and refined gastronomy converge through thoughtfully curate...

Ascott Invests in AI-ready Infrastructure to Scale Agentic Commerce

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 23 April 2026 - The Ascott Limited (Ascott), the wholly owned lodging business unit of CapitaLand Investment (CLI), today announced a decisive push into AI-re...

Porsche Design Tower Bangkok takes centre stage at Singapore Yachting Festival 2026

STUTTGART, GERMANY & SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 23 April 2026 - Blending the worlds of high-performance automotive engineering and architectural permanence, Porsche Design Tower Ban...

Vinhomes Green Paradise Can Gio And IHG Hotels & Resorts Partner To Bring Four International Hotel Brands To The Coastal Mega Urban Development

HANOI, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 23 April 2026 - Cangio Tourist City Corporation, the developer of Vinhomes Green Paradise, and IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hote...

Reimagining Capital: Inside BizPal Day 2026 and the Launch of CapitalOS

JOHOR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 April 2026 - BizPal Malaysia hosted BizPal Day 2026, an invite-only event bringing together investors, SME founders, and ecosystem partners in Johor...

No Judgement, No Awkwardness: More Hongkongers Are Opening Up to AI for Mental Health Support

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 April 2026 - There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes not from the stress itself, but from carrying it in silence — unsure whether it is ser...

PayNuts Unveils Expanded Integrated Solutions and Refreshed Brand to Support Australian SMEs

PayNuts, one of Australia’s fastest-growing payment service providers, has unveiled a refreshed brand identity and an expanded suite of integrated b...

BizCover Brings Australia’s First AI-Based Insurance Quotes to ChatGPT

Australian small business owners can now receive and compare business insurance quotes directly inside ChatGPT, in a move that signals a major shi...

VistaPrint Research Reveals Australian Small Businesses Face a Succession Cliff

With only 16% of retiring small businesses having a succession plan, tens of thousands risk closure as one in three owners nears retirement.  Ne...

Corporate volunteering grows up: how companies are shifting to meaningful, community-led impact

As workplaces settle into the new year and look for ways to strengthen culture, capability and connection, experts say corporate volunteering is e...

The Rise of Mobile-First Venues

Global Hospitality Platform, Tabit, Reveals Five Ways to Maximise Benefits of Mobile-First Systems  As Australian hospitality venues grapple with...

Why the SME is now the primary engine of global cybercrime

For over a decade, the most practical and effective advice we could offer an employee was to spot the typo. It was practical, it was free, and it wo...