The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre strives to maintain the highest level of integrity and competence of the financial sector. We encourage financial institutions to participate in the Hong Kong ICT (HKICT) Awards 2020 - FinTech Award.

The FinTech Award aims to encourage the development of fintech innovation and solutions for enhancing operations and fostering new modes of business for the financial sector. It comprises three streams this year:

1. Banking, Insurance and Capital Markets

2. Emerging Solutions

3. Regulatory Technology and Risk Management*

    *Includes Fintech Security

Being a supporting organisation of the FinTech Award, the Centre encourages companies in the banking, insurance, securities trading as well as fund and asset management industries to submit entries. Please refer to the category prospectus and application form of the Award, or visit the webpage of the Leading Organiser Hong Kong Institute of Bankers (HKIB) for more details.

The closing date for Award enrolment is 3 January 2020 (by noon). For enquiry, please contact HKIB at 2153-7899 (Ms Lam) or 2153-7858 (Ms Ho), or by email to fintechaward@hkib.org .

Ms Lily Chung, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC), attended the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Training Programme in Tokyo, Japan as a visiting expert and was invited to share Hong Kong’s experience in promoting effective anti-corruption practices in the private sector at a lecture on 28 October 2019.

The lecture was jointly organised by the Asia Crime Prevention Foundation (ACPF) and the Association of Corporate Legal Departments (ACLD), and was attended by legal professionals in Japan. In her lecture, Ms Chung introduced the Centre’s strategies in promoting business ethics and good governance to the private sector. She also took the opportunity to share the Centre’s cooperation with the Hong Kong Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in disseminating anti-corruption messages to Japanese companies in Hong Kong, including a Japanese pamphlet produced to explain the anti-bribery law of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC) has been jointly organising thematic seminars with various professional bodies and trade organisations to promote good governance and professional ethics in the business sector. Some major seminars conducting in November and December include the following:

For enquiries, please contact the above co-organisers directly, or call the HKBEDC hotline at 2587-9812.

The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC) serves as a supporting organisation for the 10th Business Ethics Forum (BEF), and encourages business leaders and practitioners from the financial services industry and professional services companies to join the event.

BEF is one of the signature events of the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute (HKSI Institute). With the theme “Business Ethics in the Digital Era”, this year’s BEF has invited influential and prominent leaders and regulators from the financial services industry to discuss on ethical digital framework, including big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence ethics, from different perspectives. Details of the event are as below:

• Date: 7 February 2020 (Friday)

• Time: 9:00am to 2:30pm

• Venue: JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong

• Hours: 4 SFC CPT / PWMA OPT hours; 1 IA CPD hour

• Registration: Click here

Please view the programme flyer or visit the event webpage for more details. For enquiries, please call Ms Angela Chan of HKSI Institute at 3120-6147 or email to bef@hksi.org.

Following the successful launch of the “Starting-Up Right!” programme for novice entrepreneurs and start-ups, the Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC) has recently formed a “Starting-Up Right! Connectors Network” (the Network) to link start-up connectors together and exchange useful information on business ethics and anti-corruption.

Start-up incubators, accelerators, alongside start-up communities and organisations that coordinate local start-ups activities, are cordially invited to join the Network and assist in disseminating integrity messages to their connected start-ups. Participating connectors can:

• receive news from the HKBEDC on its business ethics initiatives

• access to the latest ICAC’s publications and anti-corruption resources

• obtain “Anti-corruption Information Kit for Start-ups & SMEs”, pamphlets, feature articles, etc. for distribution to the connected start-ups

• use ICAC’s free services, including arrange talks and sharing sessions on corruption prevention for start-ups

Start-up connectors may click here to join the Network, while individual start-ups who are interested in our services may contact us directly. For enquiries, please contact Ms Karen Wong at (852) 2826-3398.

Hong Kong remains a safe and world-class city with unlimited potentials amidst the recent challenges. Results of a few international surveys were referenced to prove Hong Kong’s effective rule of law with respect to independent judiciary, robust anti-corruption regime, as well as effective and sound legal system. Paramount to the rule of law and sustainable growth of the economy is the ICAC's unwavering commitment to preventing and fighting corruption in both the public and private sectors.

Please click here to view the ICAC Post.

The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC) has jointly organised thematic seminars with various professional bodies and trade organisations to promote good governance and professional ethics in the business sector. Some major seminars scheduled for September and October include the following:

For enquiries, please contact the above organisations, or call the HKBEDC hotline at 2587-9812.

The highlights of this issue include:

• the ICAC shared the success factors of Hong Kong’s anti-corruption model at international conferences and meetings with foreign agencies;

• important tips for doing business overseas ethically;

• the ICAC promoted positive values to youngsters and their parents in the Hong Kong Book Fair; and

• Hong Kong’s corruption situation in the first six months of 2019.

Please click here for the 37th issue of the ICAC Post.

Accounting professionals not only play crucial roles in the financial management and corporate governance of an organisation, they also have an overriding duty to protect the public interest. Given their unique roles and duties, professional accountants must uphold the highest integrity standard and stay vigilant to various ethical risks and challenges.

The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC) has developed a series of feature articles highlighting the ethical risks faced by external auditors, internal auditors, financial accountants and management accountants respectively. The articles also cover the legal obligations and professional principles these accounting professionals should pay heed to in tackling ethical challenges.

HKBEDC has also developed a wide range of corruption prevention resources for other industries and targets. Please click here to find out more.

Mr HO Wai-chi, Director of Community Relations of the ICAC, attended a networking reception of the Indian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong (ICCHK) on 17 July to share with ICCHK’s members on the anti-corruption and ethics promotion work of the ICAC. He exchanged with members on the probity situation in Hong Kong, the challenges ahead in the fight of corruption, as well as the initiatives and services of the ICAC and the Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC).

The ICCHK is one of the ten member chambers of the Business Ethics Development Advisory Committee, which guides the work of the HKBEDC. The partnership between the HKBEDC and these foreign and local chambers fully demonstrates the support from the business communities in upholding business and professional ethics to sustain a level-playing field in Hong Kong.

Please contact HKBEDC at 2587-9812 if you are interested in the dedicated services provided for the business sector.