Over the past two weeks, Asia’s two major fintech gatherings have taken stage back-to-back — the Hong Kong FinTech Week (HKFTW) and the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF). Interestingly, this year marks the tenth anniversary of both events. Over the past decade, these two gatherings have not only witnessed the rise of regional fintech ecosystems but also become a battleground of “soft power” in financial innovation between Hong Kong and Singapore.
From Kick-off to Leading: The Start Line of a 10-Year Race
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Singapore: The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced the Festival in April 2016, and the first event was held 14-18 Nov 2016.
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Hong Kong: The Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced the first FinTech Week in Sept 2016; it took place 7-11 Nov that year.
Since then the two events have mostly taken place in different weeks — Hong Kong in the first week of Nov, Singapore in the second. Only in 2022 did they overlap for a short window, sparking talk of “attendance-competition”.
Focus of 2025 Themes: The FinTech Blueprint for the Next Ten Years
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Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF)
The 2025 theme, “Technology Blueprint for the Next Decade of Finance,” explores how cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Tokenisation, and Quantum Computing are reshaping the global financial landscape in terms of security, efficiency, and inclusion. The festival aims to define the next generation of financial infrastructure while fostering deeper dialogue among regulators, innovators, and industry leaders worldwide. -
Hong Kong FinTech Week (HKFTW)
With the 2025 theme “Curating the New Fintech Era,” Hong Kong FinTech Week will, for the first time, be held in collaboration with StartmeupHK Festival. The event highlights how innovations in AI, blockchain, green technology, and healthtech are being integrated into Hong Kong’s financial and industrial ecosystems. It will showcase how fintech is driving economic transformation, enhancing competitiveness, and strengthening Hong Kong’s position as a regional innovation hub.
Ticket Price: Singapore on the Higher End
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SFF: Regular pass ~ S$1,500; executive pass S$5,000; startup discount ~ S$650 (≤ 5 years old).
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HKFTW: Regular ticket US$649 (~S$842); investor ticket US$1,299; executive US$1,649; startup discount US$299 (≤ 7 years old, revenue ≤ US$2 m).
In short: Singapore uses a higher-tier price point, stricter access, but also draws a broader international audience.
Leadership and Industry Line-up: Heavyweights on Both Sides
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Singapore side: Deputy PM & Trade/Industry Minister Yan Jin‑Yong; DBS Bank CEO Tan Soo‑Shan; Ant Group CEO Jing Xian‑Dong; cloud-native banking authority Dr Paul Taylor; API-design pioneer Dr Roy Fielding.
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Hong Kong side: Chief Executive John Lee; HSBC Group CEO Georges Elhedery; Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters; AIIB President Jin Liqun; Wolfsburg Group Secretary J Edward Conway.
While both cities attract global stars, Hong Kong leans more into Greater China & GBA-connected firms; Singapore leans more global scale-tech thinking.
Scale of Attendance: Singapore Still Leads
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SFF:
2016 ≈ 13,000 (60 regions)
2018 ≈ 45,000 (130 regions)
2019 ≈ 60,000
2023 ≈ 66,000 (record high) -
HKFTW:
2019 ≈ 12,000
2023 ≈ 37,000
2025 target: > 37,000
Though Hong Kong is growing fast, Singapore remains ahead in scale. Notably, Singapore’s “SFF MeetUp” achieved ~1,500 attendees & >10,000 business-match sessions; for 2025 it aims at ~3,000 attendees and 20,000 matches — making it the largest fintech business-match platform in Asia.
Focus Areas & Strategy: Frontier Tech vs Practical Integration
According to Dr Bai Shipan of NTU’s alumni advisory board:
“Singapore is more focused on frontier technologies such as intelligent agent payments, stablecoins and quantum computing; Hong Kong is more focused on applying technology to enhance existing financial services such as SME financing, cross-border trade and RMB internationalisation.”
This also reflects policy divergence — Hong Kong adopts a “steady-advance” strategy, while Singapore pursues “tech-driven regulatory & infrastructure innovation”.
Anchored in Asia, Aiming Global
For fintech firms, the choice isn’t mutually exclusive. As XTransfer founder Deng Guobiao puts it:
“Singapore’s event is larger in scale and covers ASEAN markets; Hong Kong is influential for the Greater Bay Area and Mainland-China access. For us both serve as important bases — attending both opens different layers of collaboration.”
A Decade In — Who Wins?
After ten years of competition:
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Singapore: More international, more tech-centric
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Hong Kong: More China/GBA-connected, more service-/industry-integration
Who is “ahead”? It depends on what you care about: -
For global fintech macro-trends: Singapore
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For China-GBA corridor and bridging Chinese enterprises globally: Hong Kong
Either way, the “fintech twin-city duel” is far from over. Over the next ten years, both may serve as Asia’s dual fintech innovation cores.
