Crossing the Border: How Local Companies Grow beyond Hong Kong
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Hong Kong’s geological location has been proved to offer a gateway for overseas companies itching to enter China, as well as a launchpad for Mainland Chinese companies looking to jumpstart their global expansion. Leveraging this strategic positioning, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has entered a partnership with InvestHK and Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) to launch the AWS Hong Kong Landing Program, providing necessary resources to help budding startups and ambitious SMEs reach the global marketplace.
Super Connector and Super Value-Adder: Hong Kong’s Role in Scaling Businesses
The Program embodies Hong Kong’s spirit as a super connector and super value-adder, unlocking an extensive network of business connections, which encompass venture capitals and multinational enterprises. With no technical background required, eligible participants will be onboarded to the AWS Partner Network and Amazon Service Provider Network, maximising exposure and sales channels simultaneously.
From China to the World: eSignGlobal’s Step-by-Step Digital Journey
Despite the exponential potential for growth in Asia’s world city, companies also face significant challenges when exploring new markets. Andy Lu, Director of Operations at eSignGlobal, highlighted the difficulties in navigating complex regulations and compliance issues, explaining that different regions have different regulations on electronic signatures, electronic transactions and personal data protection.
Crediting the company’s success to finding the right starting point and legitimate partners, Lu stated, “eSignGlobal has worked with AWS to deploy dedicated data centers which meet international standards, such as the Personal Data Privacy Ordinance in Hong Kong and General Data Protection Regulation in Europe.” Besides AWS’s secure global cloud infrastructure, the platform brings a wealth of compliance certifications, managing the heavy lifting of legal and regulatory compliance so that businesses can focus on growth.
A shining example of universal success, the trusted electronic signature service provider established operations in Hong Kong and adopted AWS cloud services in early 2024, successfully making its mark outside Mainland China. Now operating in more than 70 countries and regions, eSignGlobal serves more than 6.1 million enterprise users and 120 million individual users, processing millions of signatures on a daily basis.
From Hong Kong to Saudi: CSOP Asset Management’s Venture into Unknown
It’s been established that businesses in any region hinge on people, but personal relationships take a far superior role in the Middle East. Despite sending a member of staff to station in Saudi Arabia for the entire project period, offshore fund manager CSOP Asset Management still encountered major roadblocks, including differing corporate cultures and legal systems.
Understanding the necessity for expert guidance and support to help businesses break through unchartered territory, the AWS Hong Kong Landing Program assigns dedicated mentors for issues spanning generative AI, cross-border commerce, big data, security and compliance. In particular for a culturally diverse region like the Middle East, one size does not fit all and localisation is backed by a close-knit alliance of landing supporting organisations.
Furthermore, Ray Leung, Senior Vice President, Tech Architect and Innovation at CSOP Asset Management, stated, "A stable IT infrastructure is one of the key success factors for financial services. Also, AWS’s extensive range of services encompasses computing, storage, database, machine learning and even AI, allowing businesses to leverage the right tools for addressing specific needs."
By migrating 90% of data workload to AWS in 2022, the CSOP team was able to focus on bringing innovation to the table. In less than 24 months, the company managed to list three ETF products across four international exchanges, all meeting the most stringent security requirements of the International Organisation for Standardisation and Service Organisation Control, once again illustrating the pivotal role of cloud services in facilitating rapid deployment.
From Novice to Expert: Taking Off with AWS’s Cloud Innovation
Entering a new market can be exhilarating yet daunting for businesses, especially in a world that is constantly evolving. However, overseas expansion is more than a step in the growth strategy presentation, and has in fact become a critical step for long-term corporate sustainability and organisational resilience. Acting as a safety net for businesses of all sizes, the AWS Hong Kong Landing Program offers access to world-class technical infrastructure, cloud computing credits and unparalleled market opportunities.
One of the key incentives is the startup funding boost, which translates to up to US$25,000 AWS credits. This takes away any financial burden associated with scaling, enabling companies to build and innovate on AWS's platform with confidence. Effectively a sandbox for trial and error, the complimentary program also introduces relevant stakeholders and partners to make operations in foreign markets as smooth as possible, empowering businesses by eliminating all uncertainties and risks.
With the support of AWS, InvestHK and HKSTP, startups and SMEs are not just crossing geographical borders, but paving a concrete path to maturity and profitability, thereby shaping Hong Kong’s future and the way of doing business. The future is bright for those ready to take the leap, and the next big thing is just one step away with the AWS Hong Kong Landing Program.