Hong Kong’s FinTech industry is fast growing, continuing to attract investors and emerging entrepreneurs. Following the success of this year’s Hong Kong FinTech Week, Hive Life spotlights some rising startups disrupting the industry with their innovative fundraising and financial solutions for SMEs and rising businesses.
Hailed as the nucleus of Asia’s financial technology (FinTech) industry, Hong Kong is renowned for its diversity, resilience, and dynamic startup ecosystem, and is home to over 600 modern-tech companies. Despite Singapore closely competing to be Asia’s leading financial hub recently, the city maintains its edge, with rapid technology advancements and adoption placing it at the forefront of the FinTech revolution.
With an ever-expanding pool of talented entrepreneurs and startups driving financial inclusion and innovation, Hong Kong continues to bring forth new, accessible, and highly-adaptable solutions to ease user adoption. The city is ranked among the top nations for its digital financial services, with one of the highest consumer FinTech adoption rates in the world.
The city concluded its annual Hong Kong FinTech Week with great success, as many industry giants, rising companies, and innovative startups made an appearance, sharing their solutions with potential investors and clients. Among these names were notable startups delivering fundraising and financial solutions for small to medium enterprises (SMEs), to facilitate their business development. Here are some of the rising FinTech startups in Hong Kong innovating in the field.
Choco Up
A technology-driven solution designed for digital startups and small businesses seeking funding, Choco Up provides those in need of capital with flexible and streamlined digital investments. While they primarily specialise in revenue-based financing, their uniqueness comes from their proprietary funding technology, the “Choco payment” model, Asia’s first of its kind. With availability in over 130 countries, their method is widely adopted and highly integrative with different business models, offering greater flexibility and efficiency.
Their isolated infrastructure is ideal for storing, decrypting, and transmitting secure and verifiable payments, making Choco Up a popular choice. Choco Up has showcased an incredible track record, securing many substantial partnerships with big names such as CXA Group, Hubspot, Amazon Web Services, and more.
APOIDEA Group
The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is here, and the technology is deemed integral for many businesses’ growth. Hong Kong-based APOIDEA Group is an AI-based company incorporating diverse modes and techniques to extract and gather financial insights through deep learning and natural learning processes. Its complex tech model has opened up endless opportunities in providing companies with various financial solutions to aid them in developing all-rounded capital statements for potential investors and clients.
APOIDEA covers all scopes of financial modelling, from report extractions to data monitoring, to chart formulations. Their dedicated solutions team consists of professionals from accounting, banking, and science fields, and has made great strides in leading in assisting entrepreneurs and SMEs to navigate the FinTech world by leveraging their AI capabilities.
Wesurance Limited
Aspiring to redefine the digital insurance space, Wesurance is Hong Kong-based InsurTech startup enabling companies in the field to develop and scale their solutions through their refined digital distribution network. The startup is committed to reducing solution development costs for insurance brokers and businesses.
Wesurance’s build-your-own digital insurance model incorporates digital therapeutics (DTx) technology, and is highly focused on the individualised needs of consumers, hence each solution is designed to be convenient, easily adaptable, and multifaceted. Their technology has helped many insurance businesses by developing various financial products, from insurance purchases and payment, to policy management and renewals, and more, each of which is customised with quality and security in mind.
HashKey Group
Hong Kong-headquartered end-to-end FinTech solution provider, HashKey Group delivers a diverse range of investment opportunities and tech solutions for institutions, investors, and small companies across the digital ecosystem. Deploying state-of-the-art measures and solutions to support businesses across different fields in dealing with digital assets, the group offers exchange and brokerage services, funding for blockchain innovators, and help with building Web3 infrastructure, along with other tech-based services.
HashKey Capital acts as the institutional asset investment arm of the group, with an exclusive focus on developing and funding new blockchain tech solutions to help grow the ecosystem within the region.
HashKey Group is the first of its kind to gain approval to operate a virtual asset trading platform in Asia, commissioned by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (SFC). The tech-enabled conglomerate earned itself quite the reputation as a trailblazer in digital asset management and blockchain technology.
Osome
Leading a dynamic digital financial transformation in the business world, Osome has eliminated the immediate need to hire a secretary or an auditor for startups and entrepreneurs, through their one-stop-shop platform. Their solutions are curated to address and facilitate the essential routinely monotonous tasks that often can be rather strenuous and time-consuming for startups.
Their personalised secretarial services integrate tracking algorithms to enable companies in staying ahead of designated tasks, as well as internal and external deadlines. Other than daily accounting, bookkeeping, auditing duties and secretarial work, Osome also provides additional services for entrepreneurs looking to set up their business, from assisting with company registration, to supporting with bank account opening and management.
FundFluent
Startups and small businesses often rely heavily on their contacts and personal knowledge for investment opportunities, which in most cases can hinder chances of success. Backed by Cyberport, FundFluent acknowledges the issues most may face starting out in the space, and has developed an accessible funding model to help startups and small businesses in Hong Kong.
From providing nonprofit financial grants, to non-dilutive funding, along with additional capital raising strategy support, the startup encompasses all key aspects to aid the companies with their growth, scale, and development. This year, FundFluent has successfully allocated over HK$39 million in business grants collectively, to support startups and small-scale companies.
Entrepreneurs can search across their various services and flexible offerings to find the best fit of grants for their business model.
Irostors
Established in Hong Kong, 2021, Irostors started out of its founders’ challenges with acquiring information and connecting with companies, financiers, or hedge funds for investment opportunities. This Cyborport incubated startup has built a solution to address this and simplify the process, allowing potential investors to access SMEs’ products, gain important insights, and find ideal matches.
Their space provides a simple yet directive method to find investors by integrating AI technology into its solution. The platform makes it relatively easier for both parties to connect and communicate freely via their expandable services, including investment talks, analyst meetings, and strategic media distribution. Whether you are a public company seeking funding, or an investment firm hoping to expand your base, you can simplify your pathway with Irostors.
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