14th October 2026
By Joe Pan
HONG KONG — “My forte is to help build for business expansion and also to build corridors, map the flow, map the different continents, different countries,” Michele Fung told reporters on Monday, in a first public appearance as the new chairwoman of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong. “So this is what my strength is.”
The FinTech Association of Hong Kong, the city’s largest industry group and Asia’s leading independent fintech organization, announced the appointment of Ms. Fung, Asia-Pacific head of payments firm Unlimit, as its new chair on Tuesday. She succeeds Lareina Wang, who completed the maximum two-year term and remains on the board.
Who Is Michele Fung, the New FTAHK Chairwoman?
Hong Kong knows Ms. Fung by a nickname earned the hard way: the “Iron Lady” of payments — a nod to her toughness and boldness as a leader who pioneered and opened overseas markets for early Chinese enterprises, including a stint as general manager at LianLian Global, where she expanded the firm’s international footprint. She has co-chaired FTAHK’s digital banking and payments committee since September 2025.
The appointment lands as the association approaches its 10th anniversary in 2027, following what officials described as a landmark year: 130 new members — the highest single-year intake in years — six major public consultation responses, MOUs signed with fintech bodies in Shenzhen, Beijing, Suzhou and Shanghai, and the launch of an FTAHK podcast.
“We are delighted to welcome Michele as our new Chair,” Jean-Louis Tse, FTAHK’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Her proven leadership in global market expansion and cross-border payments, combined with her active contributions to FTAHK, makes her the ideal leader to guide our next phase of growth.”
FTAHK’s Growth Strategy and Institutional Roadmap for 2027
At Monday’s media luncheon, Mr. Tse, a French-born Chinese banker with 20 years in Hong Kong finance and a co-founder in Asia of investment platform iCapital, laid out a three-step roadmap that sounds suspiciously like a balance sheet: build the foundation, then institutionalize. Looking ahead, he said 2027 would be a year of institutionalization and operational profitability for the association, anchoring its finances on what he called the “FTAHK trilemma” — community, financials and institutional partnerships forming a virtuous circle.
“Today, everything is fin and tech,” Mr. Tse said, pledging a more inclusive association that reaches beyond finance into real estate and the arts.
Michele Fung Sees Hong Kong as a Global Fintech and Payments Hub
Ms. Fung, for her part, positioned Hong Kong not merely as China’s gateway but as a global clearing house in the making.
“In 2026, we could see that we are transitioning into a higher profitable, deeply integrated and institutional-grade financial ecosystem,” she said, noting virtual banks are turning profitable and global institutions are building clearing hubs in the city. “Obviously, Hong Kong is always a gateway for China,” she added. “But also, if you look at Southeast Asia, with the different regulations, different fintech landscape, so Hong Kong is serving as a springboard for these companies to come in here to set up their clearing network and to go beyond to Asia Pacific.”
On policy trends, board member Steffanie Yuen, a former venture capital investor who worked with Ant Group in Hangzhou and previously co-chaired the wealth and invest tech committee, said wealth management fintech continues to lead the field.
“We have seen this segment actually to be one of the fastest growing segments in our association,” Ms. Yuen said, pointing to tokenized money market funds launched by members including Amundi, BNY, China AMC and Fidelity, and tokenized deposits under development by Citi, DBS, HSBC and UBS. She said 75% of surveyed members had already implemented at least one generative AI use case, per the association’s AI roadmap position paper published in April.
“I am deeply honored to step into the role of Chair at such a pivotal moment for Hong Kong and the wider Asia-Pacific fintech ecosystem,” Ms. Fung said in the formal announcement. “My vision for FTAHK is to ensure we amplify every member’s voice — from early-stage startups to global financial institutions.”
What Is the FinTech Association of Hong Kong?
FTAHK, an independent, not-for-profit member organization, represents more than 1,100 members through seven committees spanning AI, blockchain and digital assets, digital banking and payments, quantum and cybersecurity, regtech, green tech, and wealth, invest and insure tech. Its mission rests on three pillars: advocate, collaborate, educate — or, as Mr. Tse might put it, all fin and all tech.
About the Author
Joe Pan is an editor and producer at Blockwind News. An early adopter of blockchain technology, he has covered major crypto conferences globally since 2019 and moderated Web3 events across Asia. Joe is part of the founding team of Blockwind News and teaches Asia’s only accredited Master of Journalism course on “Covering Cryptocurrency and Blockchain” at Hong Kong Baptist University.
