The "Northern Metropolitan Area Financial Consulting Working Group" held its second meeting to explore diversified financing models to support the development of Beidu.

On August 26, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Association of Banks jointly established the "Northeast Metropolitan Area Financial Advisory Working Group" (the Working Group), which held its second meeting to discuss how the banking sector can promote the implementation of projects in the Northeast Metropolitan Area (Northeast Metropolis) through diverse financing models. At this meeting, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau shared the government's multi-faceted development model to accelerate the development of the Northeast Metropolis, including establishing park companies to participate in industrial construction and operation, while guiding market forces to speed up development projects through public-private partnerships. The authorities also stated that the Legislative Council's Finance Committee has approved funding exceeding HKD 180 billion for public works related to the Northeast Metropolis, demonstrating the government's firm support for its development. In addition, Hong Shui Qiao Industrial Park Limited introduced its development direction, strategies, and models for the industrial park, as well as collaboration opportunities with the banking sector, enabling banks to prepare in advance for financing and other supporting financial services that align with the development of the industrial park project. Considering that many projects in the Northeast Metropolis will adopt diverse public-private partnership models, the Working Group established a "Public-Private Partnership Financing Task Group" (the Task Group) to facilitate professional exchanges in relevant areas within the banking industry. During the meeting, the Task Group shared public-private partnership financing cases from Mainland China and abroad, covering projects in "district development," education, transportation, infrastructure, and other fields. The Task Group will draw on relevant experiences to study how to enhance the financing capability of Northeast Metropolis projects through different development models and risk mitigation measures. It will also explore the supporting arrangements for financing public-private partnership projects, including the development of financing templates for banks to reference, aiming to expedite targeted financing solutions for projects related to the Northeast Metropolis. Participants included representatives from the Monetary Authority, the Association of Banks, the Development Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Innovation and Technology Bureau, Hong Shui Qiao Industrial Park Limited, and 23 participating banks in the Working Group.