AMTD & LendIt announce the establishment of Joint Global Office

In October 2016, AMTD Group (“AMTD”) – the leading diversified financial services group based in Hong Kong with broad business coverage and network across Asia, and LendIt – the world’s largest and most influential Fintech summit organization, are pleased to formally announce the establishment of AMTD-LendIt Joint Global Office (“Joint Global Office”) as well as the signing of a strategic partnership agreement, creating a premier conduit for optimal and seamless exchange between Asian / global capital and the leading global internet / Fintech universe. In recognition of its global footprint, this announcement comes on the back of LendIt’s Europe 2016 event in London, which recorded its highest attendee numbers ever.

As the most influential host of the world’s largest Fintech events, LendIt was established with a vision to connect global internet finance and Fintech leaders, resources and capital; and to forge a distinguished platform for information sharing and business expansion. During the past few years, AMTD has focused on the transformative power of technological innovation and is dedicated to enabling a highly efficient channel of communication and cooperation between the top global Fintech players and Asian capital. AMTD is keen to support the latest Fintech innovations among Asian and global markets, and promote the healthy and dynamic development of the global internet and Fintech space.

This latest collaboration marks the next stage of a long-term partnership between AMTD and LendIt, on the back of the resoundingly successful and unprecedented inaugural LendIt-AMTD Global Fintech Investment Summit held in Hong Kong in July 2016. AMTD and LendIt are committed to cultivating the global Fintech industry through resources sharing, capital infusion and technology development.

In recent years, as the global internet and Fintech industries rapidly develop with increasing sophistication, this space has become one of the most important focus of the capital markets and the most sought-after investment area by a broad spectrum of investors globally. Currently, the Fintech industry continues to reshape traditional finance and beyond, with innovative, revolutionary and disruptive impact through a series of frontier innovations driven by data and technology including “BlockChain”, “Robo-Advisor” and “Big Data analytics”. Meanwhile, investment and capital movement in this space continue to increase in recent years with accelerating momentum, propelling this segment into one of the fastest growing and highest-potential investment areas globally. Against this backdrop, and as a result of the deepening cross-border, cross-regional and cross-sectoral linkage of capital and technology, the global Fintech industry would benefit from a pioneering platform with global strategic vision, top local capability and insights with in-depth industry resources.

Commencing with the Joint Global Office, AMTD and LendIt commit to jointly forge a world-class, revolutionary linkage between Asian and global capital and technology, and dedicate to pioneering a new era of internet, Fintech and emerging industries

Aiming to facilitate a full spectrum of cross-border capital markets and financial advisory solutions, the Joint Global Office will also actively participate in direct investments into leading global Fintech/internet companies. In addition, the Joint Global Office will commit to establishing a premier Asia-based platform with a global vision for industry-leading exchange of investors / companies, thought leaders, industry titans and regulators, as well as hosting marquee events. The Joint Global Office will serve as a premier conduit for optimal and seamless exchange between Asian/ global capital and the leading global internet / Fintech universe, and seeks to orchestrate an unprecedented force propelling the speedy, healthy and long-term development of this space.

A tour-de-force coalition with leadership jointly constituted by core members of both parties, forging a world-class global management team

Mr. Calvin Choi, Chairman and President of AMTD Group and Mr. Jason M Jones, Co-Founder and President of LendIt will serve as Co-Presidents of the Joint Global Office, with overall strategic oversight. Mr. Bob Leung, Group Vice President of AMTD Group and former Head of Asia Insurance and Diversified Financials of UBS Investment Research and Dr. Tharon Smith, Managing Director of LendIt China will serve as Joint Heads.

About Lendlt

Founded in 2013, LendIt hosts the largest events in the world for the Internet Finance community. LendIt is jointly established by Jason Jones, Peter Renton and Bo Brustkern - leading pioneers in the global internet finance and fintech space – with a vision to connect global internet finance and fintech leaders, resources and capital and forging a distinguished platform for information sharing and business expansion. Every year, LendIt hosts large-scale, global LendIt conferences in the U.S. and Europe with top internet and fintech enterprises from more than 60 countries and regions present. As LendIt places increasing focus on Greater China, the Summit represents the inaugural Global Fintech Summit held in Hong Kong, and aims to forge a conduit between Asian capital and global fintech leaders, facilitating the exchange of the latest industry trends and investment opportunities, as well as dialogues on the strategy and vision of fintech development in Hong Kong in its role as an international financial center and the frontier of China’s opening-up to the globe.