The survey, conducted between July and August this year, covered 20 large financial firms with 78 affiliated licensed corporations in Hong Kong. Together they accounted for over 75 per cent of securities transactions reported by licensed corporations in the six months ended June.
The survey found that 95 per cent of surveyed firms expected AI usage to accelerate over the next 12 months, with 90 per cent already connecting AI tools to internal systems. AI use now spans front-, middle- and back-office activities.
“AI adoption in Hong Kong in the capital market is growing rapidly in speed and in scale,” SFC chief executive officer Julia Leung said during the Hong Kong Fintech Week.
Notably, agentic AI – which can autonomously determine and execute steps to achieve an objective – is gaining traction, the survey showed.
Thirty per cent of surveyed firms already use it in their business operations, and 25 per cent are piloting it with varying degrees of autonomy and human involvement.
However, Leung struck a note of caution.
“Just think of agentic AI [as] your kids at home. They define the boundaries we set for them. They can go rogue, they can collude with their siblings, and disrupt your neighbour,” she said.
Leung also acknowledged that the development of frontier AI models and agents has outpaced governments’ and regulators’ ability to set rules.
The SFC said the findings will inform its supervisory approach to AI, with priorities including protecting investors, strengthening cybersecurity and operational resilience, and ensuring effective AI governance.
