TechFlow reports that on January 18, Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan published a column titled "Seizing Development Opportunities Amid Complex Global Circumstances," in which he noted: the role of gold as a central bank reserve asset, investment product, and risk hedging tool has further strengthened. Gold prices rose more than 60% cumulatively in 2025—the largest annual increase since 1979—and by the third quarter of last year, the total global demand for gold had increased 44% year-on-year to reach $146 billion. Hong Kong's physical gold market has become significantly more active; by November last year, the average daily trading value of the "Guo Guo Gold" on the Hong Kong Gold Exchange surged over two-fold year-on-year to HK$2.9 billion.
Hong Kong is accelerating efforts to establish a central clearing system for gold as key financial infrastructure, aiming to enhance the reliability and efficiency of gold trading and physical settlement, reduce transaction costs, and improve liquidity. The system is expected to begin trial operations this year, with the Shanghai Gold Exchange invited to participate.
