Established in 1963, The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers (HKIB) is the first not-for-profit institution that provides training and certification services to the banking community in Hong Kong. Playing an important role in talent development in the local banking industry for more than five decades now, the Institute is also proud to be the first professional body in the territory to offer banking qualifications equivalent to a Master’s degree level.
Our mission is to enhance and sustain professionalism in banking. Over the years, the HKIB has helped hundreds of thousands of practitioners and young graduates who aspired to join the industry to equip themselves with essential banking skills and knowledge through a complete development pathway – from recognised professional qualifications to continuing development programmes. Designated professional qualifications are recognised both in Hong Kong and overseas.
The HKIB also offers a comprehensive range of events, from networking activities, luncheons and seminars to conferences and forums. In this increasingly complex and challenging banking landscape, there is a strong need for current banking practitioners or potential joiners to keep abreast of the latest industry developments and build capacity.
To ensure the sustainable growth of banking talent, the HKIB has built relationships across borders by entering into memoranda of understanding or partnership agreements on the exchange of expertise and best practices with a number of professional bodies and regulators in Mainland China, Macau and overseas. We opened a representative office in Beijing, Mainland China in 2005 to encourage closer collaboration between the two markets. Our vision is not only to enhance the banking profession in Hong Kong; we also endeavour to develop a strong community of banking professionals across different territories and help set professional standards for the banking industry across the region.
Our Objectives
- To provide a high-quality training service that helps banking practitioners develop their skills and progress in their careers
- To increase the competency of banking practitioners by setting an internationally-recognised qualification benchmark
- To nurture qualified bankers, supporting the long-term sustainable growth of the banking industry
- To facilitate the discussion of issues to further the interests of the banking and financial community
- To serve as a platform where banking practitioners may exchange ideas, thoughts and best practices for enhancing the banking profession.
CEO Message
Reflecting on 2024, the global landscape saw both challenges and opportunities arising from evolving geopolitical dynamics and rapid technological advancements. Against this backdrop, our city ranked first in Asia and returned to the top three globally in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) late last year, while ascending to fifth place globally in the World Competitiveness Yearbook, indicating a promising and dynamic economic future ahead.
The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers (HKIB) recognises that talent is the cornerstone of fostering a sustainable future for the banking industry. Last year, we enhanced our talent development strategy and delivered more value-added services to our members and the broader banking industry in Hong Kong. Serving as an integral learning and knowledge- sharing platform for the industry, we will build upon our achievements to reach even greater milestones in the coming year.
Driving internal engagement and membership growth
Following our 60th anniversary celebrations in 2023, we have made notable improvements to our facilities in 2024, including office infrastructure upgrades and new workspaces designed to enhance staff engagement and foster collaboration.
Meanwhile, our membership has surpassed 15,000 Individual Members, reflecting our growth and the trust placed in us by the banking community.
We will launch the Affiliate Designation in early 2025, targeting non-bankers, future bankers, and university students who have completed Professional Qualification Programmes, including the Enhanced Competency Framework (ECF) and Certified Banker programmes, but have not yet attained related professional qualifications. This recognises their commitment to the industry and showcases their professional competence. It also allows future bankers and students to highlight their skills and knowledge, distinguishing them from their peers.
Reinforcing HKIB’s role as a training and certification hub
HKIB, Hong Kong’s first not-for-profit institution offering professional banking qualifications equivalent to a Master’s degree, continues to serve as a key provider of professional training and a certification hub. During 2024, we granted more than 4,200 professional qualifications, representing a 12.7% increase from the 3,728 granted in 2023. Continuing Development Programmes (CDP) participation also saw a 33% increase over 2023, driven by the rising demand from more Professional Members and our available programmes to complement banks’ in-house initiatives, resulting in nearly 6,700 enrolments. In recognition of the outstanding contributions made by seasoned bankers, we conferred the fourth batch of ‘Honorary Certified Banker’ titles upon industry leaders.
In 2024, HKIB introduced four new professional banking qualifications, raising our total qualification offerings to 31. In response to emerging market trends, HKIB launched a Core Level of the Enhanced Competency Framework on Green and Sustainable Finance (ECF-GSF) and a Professional Level for the ECF module on Fintech, encompassing topics such as artificial intelligence and big data. Additionally, we introduced two new streams to our flagship Certified Banker (CB) Programme, focusing on Fintech management and the Greater Bay Area. Furthermore, in partnership with The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF), we have also launched a new module within the CB programme titled “Strategic Management and Leadership”. This module aims to upskill mid-senior banking professionals in Hong Kong by integrating international practices with local expertise.
To further upskill and reskill banking talent, HKIB closely collaborated with the government and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) in administering the ‘Pilot Scheme on Training Subsidy for Fintech Practitioners’. With the evolving financial industry, we continue to introduce and support the best-fitting initiatives for our members.
In 2025, HKIB will prioritise the programme development in the Enhanced Competency Framework on Retail Wealth Management (ECF-RWM) while maintaining our focus on ECF-Fintech and ECF-GSF, to reinforce Hong Kong’s commitment to becoming the premier wealth management, green financing and fintech hub in the region. We will continue to offer high-quality professional development services that contribute to building capacity and sustaining professionalism in the banking sector.
Advancing knowledge transfer through innovative solutions
An effective approach to talent development is through advancing knowledge transfer. For years, HKIB has been dedicated to embracing technology to enhance the learning experience and strengthen operational efficiency. In 2024, we introduced a remote examination option, providing greater flexibility and accessibility for local and regional candidates. To improve user experience, we optimised our customer relationship management system (CRM) by automating many backend processes. We also launched MyHKIB onto a cloud platform, introducing functionalities such as online applications for membership, training, exams, and individual membership renewal/recertification to streamline the application process for our members and non-members.
In 2025, we are committed to becoming more data-driven at every level. This includes the rollout of a data warehouse designed to centralise and analyse data, improving data quality to uncover valuable actionable insights. We will implement a Learning Management System (LMS), for easy access to interactive learning materials, as well as the Digital Credentials System (DCS) initiative, which ensures the authenticity of certificates and enables individuals to verify them independently. With enhanced security and streamlined verification processes, these digital advancements will strengthen HKIB’s productivity and efficiency, positioning us to better serve our members and other stakeholders in the banking community.
Nurturing young talent through engagement initiatives
Alongside enhancing our current training offerings for local practitioners, HKIB is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of banking talent. In 2024, we implemented various initiatives to attract young individuals to our industry and foster a deep and sustainable talent pool by maintaining strong collaboration with the HKMA, the Education Bureau (EDB), higher education institutions, and the banking industry.
To nurture talent from a young age, we co-organised the Business-School Partnership Programme (BSPP) workshop with the EDB and the HKMA to provide secondary school students with industry insights and essential skill sets. For university students, we partnered with the HKMA to offer the University Career Talks series and organised the fourth Future Banking Bridging Programme (FBBP), equipping students with practical knowledge and networking opportunities. By leveraging the multifaceted talent development strategies mentioned above, we have engaged over 70 bankers in total to empower young talent with the skills needed to develop their careers in the banking industry.
Strengthening industry collaboration and development
Apart from providing opportunities for talent development, HKIB has made great strides over the past year to connect the industry. HKIB hosted and co-organised more than 90 industry events, including the Annual Banking Conference 2024, Cybersecurity Solutions Day 2024, Commissioners’ Dialogue Series, Regulator’s Dialogue & Directors’ Development Programme, and Mainland Economics and Finance Elite Seminar, which attracted nearly 13,000 participants. Notably, the number of participants attending the events throughout 2024 increased by 4% year-on-year. In addition to our regular initiatives, we have introduced the Top Bankers Sharing Series, an exclusive initiative for grooming CB holders into holistic banking professionals and contributing to the banking industry. The inaugural session featured Mr Sebastian PAREDES, CEO of DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited and an Honorary Certified Banker, as our first speaker. More sessions will be arranged this year.
Another new initiative is our Talent Development Networking Group. This group brings together human resources, learning and development, and talent management professionals from the Hong Kong banking industry to facilitate networking, share best practices, and promote industry collaboration on capacity building.
To continue to recognise the professional growth of top talent, we organised various industry awards, such as the 17th HKIB Outstanding Financial Management Planner Awards and the 13th HKIB China Outstanding Financial Management Planner Awards, the latter attracting over 1,000 candidates in Mainland China. In 2025, we will jointly host the Green Fintech Competition with the HKMA to promote the adoption of green fintech solutions in the banking sector.
Fostering key partnerships beyond Hong Kong
Alongside local industry collaboration, HKIB also recognises Hong Kong’s growing role as a super-connector between the East and the West. Our partnership with the London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) in launching the Strategic Management and Leadership module empowers HKIB to elevate banking practitioners to holistic banking professionals while setting a professional development benchmark for the industry.
In the Greater Bay Area (GBA), HKIB and the Secretariat of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macau Fintech Professional Programme (SHMFTPP) signed a significant cooperation memorandum in March 2024 to enhance the mutual recognition of Fintech qualifications between mainland China and Hong Kong. Backed by key financial regulatory authorities, this initiative facilitates the movement of Fintech talent within the GBA by enabling practitioners to obtain dual qualifications through targeted bridging courses and assessments.
To further promote cross-boundary collaboration, we will continue offering various Continuous Professional Development (CPD) activities dedicated to the GBA region. In 2025, we will partner with mainland banks to organise southbound study programmes and host the GBA Finance, Innovation & Development Drive (GFIDD) for northbound activities, strengthening ties among the regions. Both programmes will gather leading banking executives to exchange valuable insights into the ever-evolving GBA banking landscape, leveraging Hong Kong’s advantage as the super-connector between mainland China and the world. Collectively, these collaborations underscore our commitment to talent development and reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a premier global financial hub.
More milestones to achieve
Looking ahead, we will build on our achievements in 2024 and expand our value-added services for our members and the banking industry in Hong Kong. Alongside fostering a strong community of banking professionals through various initiatives, we are committed to providing a comprehensive talent development pathway – from recognised professional qualifications to CDP – that empowers banking practitioners to reskill and upskill. To keep on top of training needs, we will undertake the industry-wide ‘Capacity Building for Future Banking’ study to assess potential talent skill gaps from 2026 to 2030 and provide strategic direction for narrowing these gaps in the years ahead.
On behalf of HKIB, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone across various industries and sectors who have supported our efforts, as well as to our colleagues whose hard work has been crucial in our growth and success. This marks my 20th year serving with HKIB, and it is an honour to witness our achievements in promoting talent development in the banking industry. I continue to learn something new every day. Together, let us nurture talent to support the sustainable and high-quality growth of the banking industry and the long-term prosperity of our city.
Carrie LEUNG
Chief Executive Officer
