The 2026 APEC Finance Ministers Meeting was successfully held in Hong Kong

The Zhitong Finance App learned that the 2026 APEC Finance Ministers Meeting was successfully held in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Representatives of member economies and international organizations had in-depth exchanges on major topics of economic development in various regions, forming broad consensus and practical results.

The Finance Ministers Meeting was held on the 2nd day of today (October 21). The conference issued the “2026 APEC Finance Ministers Joint Statement”, which reaffirms the commitment to build an open, dynamic, strong and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040 to achieve common prosperity for the people of the Asia-Pacific region and future generations. The statement also pointed out that all parties had meaningful discussions on fiscal policies to support people's livelihood development, digital infrastructure financing, and promoting the development of inclusive finance according to local conditions, and welcomed exchange and cooperation projects for young financial talents to promote the prosperity and resilience of the Asia-Pacific region.

Today's agenda of the Finance Ministers Meeting includes discussions on promoting inclusive finance development according to local conditions, and promoting exchanges and cooperation among young APEC financial talents. Speaking during the discussion session, Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Chan Mao-po said that the key to promoting inclusive finance is for citizens and small and medium-sized enterprises to use affordable and reliable financial services safely and conveniently. He shared the experience of implementing the “Business Data Connect” in Hong Kong to improve the efficiency of credit evaluation and facilitate financing for small and medium-sized enterprises by promoting data sharing between enterprises and banks. He emphasized that consumer protection, data governance and clear accountability mechanisms must go hand in hand with innovation.

He also said that Hong Kong supports continuing exchanges and cooperation among young financial talents in 2027 to cultivate a new generation of talents with professional knowledge, good judgment, international vision and ability to collaborate across borders. He suggested that exchanges focus on practical policy issues such as the responsible application of artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure financing and inclusive finance, and establish a continuous network of contacts among participants to promote learning and long-term cooperation.

Minister of Finance Lan Foan said in his closing speech that all parties should firmly implement the consensus reached at the APEC Informal Leaders' Meeting, adhere to multilateralism, deepen practical cooperation in the financial field, and contribute to regional economic and financial stability and long-term sustainable growth.

A press conference was also held after the meeting. Lan Foan said that with the joint efforts of all parties and the guarantee of high-quality services provided by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the current Finance Ministers meeting successfully completed various agendas and achieved a series of practical results. He pointed out that the conference deepened the consensus of all parties in the Asia-Pacific region on three aspects, including strengthening macroeconomic policy communication and coordination to jointly address external risks and challenges; promoting practical cooperation in the financial field to support long-term sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific economy; and promoting regional economic integration and building an Asia-Pacific community.

The 2026 APEC Finance Ministers Meeting was successfully held in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, fully demonstrating Hong Kong's unique advantages as an international financial center that supports the motherland and connects the world, and its ability to host large-scale international conferences. Hong Kong will continue to play the role of “super contact” and “super value-added person”, deepen exchanges and cooperation with APEC member economies, and contribute to the promotion of regional economic and financial development.