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Speech
Mrs Regina Ip Spoke at International Forum for Impact Investing
2026-01-28
Opening Remarks by Mrs Regina Ip,
Convenor of Hong Kong Executive Council and
Co-Chair of Maritime Silk Road Society at the
International Forum for Impact Investing
Hong Kong, 28 January, 2026
Secretary Christopher HUI (许正宇), Minister ZHANG Laiwu (张来武), Mayor TU Guangshao (屠光绍), Director-General WU Zhong (吴忠), Chairman BEI Duoguang (贝多广), Director ZHAO Xiaolei (赵晓蕾), Dean LI Haitao (李海涛), Distinguished Guests, Ladies & Gentlemen,
Good morning! As Co-Chair of the Maritime Silk Road Society, a supporting partner of this forum, I am honoured to be here to speak on this year’s theme: “Impact in Action: Forging Resilient Futures,” and its importance to the next stage of development of the Belt and Road Initiative (“BRI”).
The Rockefeller Foundation is widely credited with coining and popularizing the term “impact investing” around 2007, that is, investments made “with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.” Unlike the risk management and analytical framework of Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”), which is used by investors and businesses to assess a company’s sustainability, ethical impact, and long-term resilience beyond financial performance, “impact investing” develops investment strategies that purposefully channel capital to create positive, measurable impact. As a corollary to this, for instance, an investor using an ESG lens might choose the best-performing oil company with better governance and spill records, but the investor is still invested in fossil fuels. However, an impact investor would actively seek out a company which develops clean energy alternatives to replace fossil fuels.
After more than ten years in action, the BRI is poised to make a greater impact on human development. The initial decade of BRI was characterized by large-scale, state-driven infrastructure financing, such as ports, railways, power plants and so on. There is room for optimization. The new focus areas in the second decade, such as Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), Green Technology, Cultural/Media Content, and Services, represent a shift toward “softer”, knowledge-intensive and scalable investments. This is precisely what impact investing, with its dual-purpose ethos, is about.
This is how I see impact investing can forge resilient futures in key BRI areas:
First, in Digital Economy and AI, impact investing moves beyond laying cables to funding ventures that solve problems. Investing in Agri-tech for farmers, Fintech for inclusion, and Ed-tech for skills builds economic resilience from the ground up. Prioritizing an inclusive digital transformation helps avoid pitfalls like data colonialism.
Second, in Goods and Services like healthcare and clean energy, the lens shifts from building hospitals to investing in scalable service models, such as telemedicine. Funding distributed renewable energy creates climate-resilient access and powers local economies, aligning with “Green BRI” goals through market-driven solutions.
Third, Cultural & Media Content means investing in the creative economy - funding local film studios or indigenous language platforms - rather than just building cultural centres. This fosters social cohesion, creates jobs, and ensures cultural exchange is a vibrant, two-way dialogue.
“Impact investment” can fundamentally reframe the BRI from capital-driven to equity-based finance, from macro-economic to human-centric metrics, measuring jobs created and carbon cutbacks; from government-to-government deals to multi-stakeholder ecosystems; and towards global standards, attracting broader investment and reducing friction.
In conclusion, impact investing offers the practical toolkit to achieve the BRI’s goals of “high-quality,” “green,” and “people-centered” development. By directing capital to solving real problems in digital, service, and creative sectors, we can forge a future that is economically, socially, environmentally, and politically resilient. This convergence can redefine the BRI as a catalyst for equitable, sustainable development.
Thank you.
