Hong Kong treats top bankers to banquet, cultural show to launch Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit

The Palace Museum in Hong Kong was the venue for a grand banquet on Monday evening. This event was in honour of representatives from some of the world's largest banks and financial institutions. They were in Hong Kong to attend a summit organised by the city's monetary authority. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) hosted this banquet, welcoming 300 global bankers. This was a precursor to the second edition of the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit, scheduled to take place over the next two days. The guests were treated to a cocktail reception, followed by a Chinese banquet-style meal and cultural performances.

Henry Tang Ying-yen, the chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and former financial secretary, addressed the gathering at the welcome dinner. Eddie Yue Wai-man, the CEO of HKMA, also extended a warm welcome to the guests. The Palace Museum, where the banquet was held, is currently hosting several exhibitions. These include works by renowned artists like Botticelli and Van Gogh, as well as treasures from the Sanxingdui archeological site in Sichuan province. Tang emphasised the importance of art in finance, stating that many banks are looking to Hong Kong as their platform for wealth management and asset management.

This year's summit has seen a significant increase in participation, with about 90 CEOs and chairmen in attendance. This is more than double the number from last year. Representatives from Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered, Citigroup, Blackstone, UBS and JPMorgan Chase were among the invitees. The banquet featured a four-course modern Chinese meal, with char siu-style pastrami salad rolls and double boiled chicken soup as entrees. The main course options included five-spice yellow chicken and pan-seared seabass. The meal concluded with espresso mousse with red date sponge cake and milk tea ice-cream for dessert. The wines served at the banquet were sponsored by Tang, an avid wine collector, who abolished tax on wine during his tenure as financial secretary. The wine selection included a Krug Grande Cuvee non-vintage champagne, a 2015 Saviennieres Fides by Eric Morgat from the Loire Valley, a 1995 Bordeaux by Ch. Rauzan-Segla, and a 2012 Nuits-St Georges Aux Argillas Premier Cru from the Burgundy region.