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On March 3, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Monetary Authority of Macau signed a revised Memorandum of Understanding, expanding the scope of cooperation to areas such as financial infrastructure, data exchange, and talent training. This initiative aims to deepen financial collaboration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and jointly safeguard the stable development of both markets.

The "Hetao Shenzhen Park Regulations" officially came into effect on March 1. Targeting bottlenecks in the cross-border flow of innovation factors between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the regulations introduce groundbreaking institutional arrangements in the supervision of personnel, goods, capital, and data. They also establish an innovation fault-tolerance mechanism, providing a solid legal foundation for the development of the Hetao Cooperation Zone into an international scientific research hub.

The sub-area management policy in the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Cooperation Zone has, after two years, significantly boosted cross-border resource flows. Hong Kong businesses can benefit from duty exemptions, 30% tariff relief on value-added processing, and Multi-functional Free Trade Accounts (EF Accounts) to cut costs. Opportunities like the "Macao Manufacturing" label also help them expand into Greater Bay Area industrial collaboration and the MICE tourism market.

Several departments in Guangdong Province have jointly issued the "Guangdong Province Entrepreneurship Guaranteed Loan Implementation Measures," effective from March 1, 2026. The measures stipulate that individuals can borrow up to 600,000 yuan, and small and micro enterprises can borrow up to 5 million yuan, with a 50% financial discount on interest, using financial means to support entrepreneurship and drive employment.

Hong Kong's New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme has introduced enhancement measures aimed at attracting asset owners to develop in Hong Kong. Applicants are required to invest no less than HKD 30 million and are permitted to hold assets through family-owned private companies, facilitating synergies with family office businesses. The enhancements will take effect from March 1, 2025.

The new regulations for the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone officially took effect on March 1, 2026. The regulations streamline cross-border procedures for Hong Kong businesses and researchers, provide duty-free facilities for scientific research goods, and pilot cross-border data flows. They also establish an innovation fault-tolerance mechanism, offering legal safeguards for Hong Kong-Shenzhen technological collaboration and the commercialization of research outcomes.

The Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has launched the "Techcelerator Programme" to provide funding for establishing accelerator bases for innovation and technology enterprises and service institutions in Hong Kong. Eligible innovation and technology enterprise service institutions can apply by April 30, 2026.

On February 25, Guangdong's lifelong learning platform for all was officially launched. Serving as a province-wide, unified super learning ecosystem, a single account grants access to educational resources across Guangdong. The platform features six major projects and five distinctive mechanisms, offering over 300,000 continuing education spots annually and aiming to train more than 2 million person-times. It also provides tailored learning programs for key groups, including workers in new business formats and the elderly.

The Chinese mainland has launched a pilot program for the digitalization of notarized documents for Hong Kong investors across 14 provinces and cities, streamlining the notarization process. Through platform integration, market regulatory authorities can directly access and retrieve electronic documents, and in principle, paper versions will no longer be required. This enhances the registration efficiency for Hong Kong-invested enterprises and facilitates investment and business operations for Hong Kong investors in the mainland.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has announced plans to establish the Academy of Aerospace Research this year. Together with the previously established Academy of Artificial Intelligence and the Academy for Advanced Studies, it will advance organized research efforts to promote the development of artificial intelligence and emerging industries.

Hong Kong has established cooperation mechanisms with eight mainland provinces to deeply engage in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) development. Collaboration spans finance, logistics, innovation, and legal services, enhancing rule alignment and resource flow. The SAR Government actively aligns with national strategies, leveraging its "super-connector" role to strengthen its status as an international hub for finance, shipping, and trade, contributing to the GBA's goal of becoming a high-quality development demonstration zone.

Hong Kong's Department of Justice has formed a high-level preparatory group to align with the national 15th Five-Year Plan. Led by Secretary Paul Lam, it will leverage Hong Kong's international legal strengths to aid national development.

Hong Kong's 2026-27 Budget deepens GBA synergy. It accelerates the "Northern Metropolis" tech hub via HK$10bn for the Lok Ma Chau Loop, aligning with the national 15th Five-Year Plan. Financially, it advances cross-boundary measures like treasury bonds and RMB trading. Resources also support cross-sectoral platforms and green tech, fostering full integration.

Guangdong is pursuing high-quality growth through deep manufacturing-service integration. Via digital empowerment and "patient capital," it reshapes industrial and value chains. Leveraging its robust ecosystem, the GBA fosters a virtuous cycle of technology, industry, and capital, building a modern industrial system to drive high-quality development.

Shenzhen, a core GBA engine, is boosting manufacturing-service synergy post-holiday. Advancing AI, major projects, and global hubs from Guangming Science City to Qianhai, it builds an "advanced manufacturing + modern services" system, fueling world-class GBA industry clusters.