HONG KONG, Apr 14, 2026 - (ACN Newswire) - In view of the growing and increasingly pressing demand from mainland enterprises to go global, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has launched GoGlobal Connect. This will leverage the resources of HKTDC’s 51 offices worldwide to strengthen its service offerings and facilitate more effective connections between mainland enterprises and Hong Kong’s professional service providers, while strengthening ties to explore global business opportunities and enhance Hong Kong’s role as an international platform.

The GoGlobal Connect launch ceremony was held today at the HKTDC SME Service Centre. The ceremony was officiated by Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and Prof Frederick Ma, Chairman of the HKTDC. It was witnessed by more than 200 enterprise representatives of mainland enterprises and Hong Kong service providers.

In his welcoming remarks, Prof Ma said: “According to the World Trade Organization’s latest report, Hong Kong rose to become the world’s fifth-largest merchandise trading economy in 2025, reflecting the strong resilience of Hong Kong’s external trade and reaffirming its status as an international trade centre. This year marks the launch of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. The HKTDC will take a proactive approach to help Hong Kong better integrate into and serve the nation’s overall development strategy. Through the newly launched GoGlobal Connect initiative, we will leverage Hong Kong’s strengths in internationally oriented professional services to lower the threshold for mainland enterprises to go global and support their steady and well‑managed overseas expansion.”

In his opening remarks, Algernon Yau said that the HKTDC officially launched the GoGlobal Connect service today, along with an enhanced cross-sectoral professional services platform, further strengthening the support provided by the GoGlobal Task Force for mainland enterprises. He said: “The Task Force will continue to actively advance various initiatives, including attracting strategically valuable mainland enterprises to develop their businesses in Hong Kong. At the same time, we will continue to organise promotional and matchmaking events across different sectoral themes in Hong Kong and the mainland, and invite mainland enterprises to join overseas business missions, allowing them to gain first-hand understanding of local market situations.”

Helping mainland enterprises go global

The HKTDC’s GoGlobal Connect initiative will provide support in four key areas, by:

Establishing a cross-sectoral professional services platform, which brings together professional service providers from eight key sectors to facilitate connections with mainland enterprises;Setting up GoGlobal Connect zones at HKTDC’s flagship events, where service providers can offer on-site consultations;Incorporating GoGlobal Connect elements into trade promotion activities held in the Chinese Mainland, to promote Hong Kong as a platform for enterprises going global;Leveraging the HKTDC’s global network to strengthen market connections.

The GoGlobal Connect service will also be available at the HKTDC SME Service Centre.

Following the launch ceremony, Yao Chenpeng, Vice President of Transfar Group, a mainland enterprise, shared the company’s plans to establish an overseas business headquarters in Hong Kong. He said that the Group’s overseas business has continued to grow in recent years, necessitating the establishment of an international management centre to handle matters such as tax planning and overseas contracts, and that the professional services available in Hong Kong are well placed to meet the company’s needs.

He noted that after sharing the idea with the HKTDC in July last year, the Council promptly arranged meetings between the Group and relevant government departments, major chambers of commerce and industry associations in Hong Kong. The HKTDC also introduced the Group to Hong Kong professional service providers to help it understand the incentives and procedures for establishing operations in Hong Kong and to build business networks.

Subsequently, at the Belt and Road Summit held in September last year, the HKTDC introduced professional service providers to the Group and facilitated the signing of cooperation agreements, providing practical support for the Group’s global expansion plans.

A survey conducted in the Chinese Mainland by the HKTDC earlier this year among more than 2,000 mainland enterprises showed that 83% plan to leverage Hong Kong’s professional services to support their global expansion, a significant increase from 62% from a similar survey conducted in 2023. The findings underscore Hong Kong’s strengths as the preferred service platform for mainland enterprises going global.

The Hong Kong SAR Government recently set up the GoGlobal Task Force and launched a thematic website in March (www.goglobal.gov.hk). The website includes a link to HKTDC’s cross-sectoral professional services platform, which provides one-stop information and professional support for mainland enterprises seeking to expand overseas via Hong Kong, helping them better leverage Hong Kong’s diverse international strengths to plan and implement their global expansion strategies. The platform has recently enhanced its service provider database and optimized the user interface. In the second half of the year, we will onboard more service providers and continue to improve the platform and matching functions to deliver more comprehensive support to mainland enterprises.

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Media enquiries

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About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels.

HONG KONG, Mar 31, 2026 - (ACN Newswire) - Amid ongoing global trade and economic uncertainties, Hong Kong exporters have adopted a more cautious stance in the first quarter of 2026, despite a strong export performance in the last few months, according to new research from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). The HKTDC 1Q26 Export Confidence Index, released today, showed moderate declines for two key indicators, the Current Performance Index and the Expectation Index. For 1Q26, the Current Performance Index stood at 46.5. Meanwhile, the Expectation Index returned a figure of 46.9, reflecting caution among survey respondents in light of the uncertain external environment.

Trade value expectations, however, remained relatively steady. The Trade Value Sub-Index stayed near the neutral threshold, with the Current reading at 50.9 and the Expectation reading at 49.1. This suggests that unit prices are expected to hold firm in the next few months. Meanwhile, both the Current and Expected Inventory Sub-Index rose above 60, indicating inventory rundown amid growing shipments in the early months of the year.

Market outlook: Cautious optimism

Commenting on the findings, HKTDC Director of Research, Bruce Pang, said: “The outlook for many of Hong Kong’s major markets has moderated somewhat, including the ASEAN bloc and the Chinese Mainland, largely on account of ongoing geopolitical developments. In the longer term, however, fundamental demand – especially for electronics and other consumer sectors – remains resilient. Hong Kong’s trade prospects should stay positive, yet remain cautious, pending the further easing of global geopolitical conflicts.”

Sector performance: Jewellery and clothing outperform

Despite the overall softening, several key sectors outperformed the overall Index. Most notably, the jewellery sector rallied impressively, supported by robust sales and sizeable new orders. The jewellery sector’s Current reading climbed to 57.1 (up 5.9), while its Expectation reading rose to 56.0 (up 1.1). The clothing sector also showed considerable improvement, with its Current Index rising to 52.1 (up 6.1) and its Expectation Index increasing by 9.2 points to 53.4. However, sentiment among electronics exporters weakened, with a Current reading of 44.9 and an Expectation reading of 45.6, signalling disruptions over the Chinese New Year period.

Cost pressures showed signs of stabilising. Although still in negative territory, the Cost Sub-Index improved significantly, with the Current reading rising 15.2 points to 38.1 and its Expectation reading up by 8.5 points to 41.3. This indicates potential sustained relief from cost pressures, despite recent surges in oil and energy prices triggered by developments in the Middle East. The impact of the recent conflict in the region was not factored into this survey as the fieldwork was carried out in January and February.

E-commerce as a growing sales channel

As part of the same survey, HKTDC Research also conducted a thematic assessment of Hong Kong exporters’ cross-border e-commerce business. The findings showed that 46% of respondents were already engaged in cross-border e-commerce, while a further 20% plan to enter the sector within the coming year. Among companies already engaged in cross-border e-commerce, the Chinese Mainland ranked as the leading e-commerce sales destination (24%), followed by the EU27 & UK (17%) and Canada & the US (15%), while the ASEAN bloc (14%) continued to emerge as a promising market with notable growth potential.

Kenneth Lee, HKTDC Section Head of Special Project & Business Advisory, added: “Market diversification remains a key strategy for Hong Kong traders to mitigate risks. At the same time, more companies are leveraging e-commerce channels to boost sales and enhance business sustainability amid an uncertain external environment.”

References

• HKTDC Export Confidence Index 1Q26: Hong Kong Exporters Stay Cautious Amid Uncertaintieshttps://research.hktdc.com/en/article/MjI4MDE5MDc3OQ
• HKTDC Research website: https://research.hktdc.com/en/

Photo download: https://bit.ly/4s5kh7o

Media enquiries

Please contact the HKTDC’s Communications and Public Affairs Department:

About HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. 

SYDNEY, March 3, 2026 - (ACN Newswire) – Accounts payable automation company Lessn today announced that it exceeded $100 million being transacted on its platform in February 2026 within its first year of operations, as the company considers a new investment round.

The platform’s accounts payable technology links to medium to large owner-operators businesses’ accounting systems, typically Xero or MYOB, with funding sources such as rewards cards and bank-to-bank. Its system allows companies to improve cash flow, earn rewards and take advantage of pay-early discounts whilst maximising accuracy, automation and security for accounts teams.

Clients include medical centres, real estate and construction businesses along with high net worth family offices.

Lessn founder David Grossman is optimistic about the company’s continued fast growth trajectory.

“Lessn surged through its $2 million revenue milestone in February 2026 and grew fivefold in recent months. We have found a sweet spot at the higher end of the medium to large-sized business market serving businesses that make payments of more than $100,000 per month, some into the millions.”

“Lessn's payments orchestration platform goes beyond card payments. It wraps around accounting, banking, and card portals, opening a wide range of payment features surrounding accounts payable. This suits businesses that want to maximise rewards points and reduce trade finance costs whilst ensuring audit trails across their AP,” he said.

During recent months, the company has attracted growing interest from both existing and new investors reflecting its strong growth profile,  with billionaire property developer Theo Onisforou among investors “very seriously considering investing in the next investment round.”

Investors in Lessn include Brendan Cook, founder of oOh!media, Dean Swan of monday.com and Michael Masterman, co-founder of Element Zero and Po Valley Energy, with $3 million already been invested in the company and its unique technology.

As the company has grown its valuation has increased significantly, with a small investment round having raised $300,000 at a valuation of $30 million in November 2025.

The business claims a serviceable addressable market of more than 1 million small to medium business in Australia, valued at more than $36 billion[1]. The company also has opportunities for international growth where countries have similar payments environments including Asia, New Zealand and the UK.

[1] Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, 2025