Finance

Issuing bonds to tackle Hong Kong deficit not ‘monstrous’: ex-minister Henry Tang

Published

2 years ago

March 5, 2024

Issuing bonds to tackle Hong Kong deficit not ‘monstrous’: ex-minister Henry Tang

Hong Kong’s plan to issue bonds to tackle a dire deficit is not “monstrous” but rather a legitimate short- to medium-term solution to improve capital flow, former finance minister Henry Tang Ying-yen has said.

Tang on Tuesday defended the government’s plan, which Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced in his budget blueprint, after his successor, John Tsang Chun-wah, warned the measure could affect the city’s credit ratings.

According to Chan’s budget speech last week, Hong Kong planned to issue HK$120 billion (US$15.3 billion) in silver, green and infrastructure bonds to cover the government’s recurring expenses. He remained confident that the city would balance the books within three years.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced in his budget blueprint a plan to issue HK$120 billion in bonds. Photo: Elson Li

Tsang, the longest-serving financial secretary from 2007 to 2017, earlier said in a social media post that the city needed to look beyond bond issuances to cover government spending. He also argued the government had “undeniably fallen into an era of structural deficit”.

Speaking in Beijing as a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Tang, who was the financial secretary before Tsang, called the plan “completely legitimate” as long as there was market demand.

“Bond issuance for the purpose of maintaining government operations is not monstrous,” Tang said.

“It is acceptable if it is used to strengthen capital flow, and raise funds in the short and medium term when the capital chain is broken.”

Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub funding crisis ‘threatens to halt event deals’

Hong Kong’s budget deficit is expected to balloon to HK$101.6 billion for the current financial year ending in March, almost double last year’s forecast given by the government. Chan said more borrowing would enable the government to maintain cash flow to finance major projects, such as the Northern Metropolis.

Tang, who served as finance chief from 2003 to 2007, ducked a question on whether Hong Kong had already plunged into a structural deficit as Tsang argued.

But he stressed that Chan had a duty to follow the principle stipulated in the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, that the government needed to avoid deficits and keep expenditure within the limits of revenues.

“If you can be candid to citizens [about the dire financial situation], they can feel your respect and understand the rationale of the measures amid the challenges,” he said, referring to the city’s property downturn and soaring recurring expenditure.

Former finance minister Henry Tang has also expressed support for the city’s coming national security legislation. Photo: Natalie Wong

Tang said that back in 2004 when he proposed issuing HK$20 billion in bonds, bankers described it as “a museum piece” as it was a rarely used tool then to solve the deficit problem.

Following measures to lure mainland Chinese tourists and launch renminbi business that year, he posted the city’s first budget surplus in five years in 2005.

Tang argued that Hong Kong was on the right track to revive its economy by finding new engines in technology and deepening cross-border integration.

Tsang’s remarks on the budget measures triggered heated debate on social media. He said that amid the high-interest rate environment, government bonds might not be as attractive to buyers as depositing their money in banks to secure higher rates of return.

30,000 yuan in duty-free? Hong Kong CPPCC members want new cap for mainland visitors

He also worried that the city would eventually need to pay the debt’s interest expenses, which could affect its credit ratings, as well as saddle future generations with higher taxes and fewer public services.

On Monday, Tang also expressed support for the city’s coming national security legislation, a requirement under Article 23 of the city’s mini-constitution.

“Without stability, it’s hard to talk about economic development and livelihood improvements,” he said.

He added that countries, including Singapore, had been strengthening their own security legislation, urging the proposed law should be utilised effectively to gain investors’ confidence.

Related Topics:bond budget debt Deficit Economy Henry Tsang hong kong issuance news Paul Chan Politics SCMP

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Finance

Crunch Fitness, Petland could get a new neighbor at Pensacola Square

Published

7 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Crunch Fitness, Petland could get a new neighbor at Pensacola Square

The Pensacola Square shopping plaza, which includes businesses such as Hobby Lobby, Books-A-Million and Crunch Fitness, may be getting a new tenant.

Alabama-based loan agency Regional Finance is looking to open its first Florida branch at unit 117 of Pensacola Square.

Regional Finance has over 350 branch locations across 19 U.S. states at this time, including Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina, and they provide a range of services to their clients, ranging from personal and auto repair loans to furniture, appliance and travel loans.

They submitted an application to the city in order to conduct alterations on the space, which is located next to Petland inside the plaza, and the plans are still under review by city officials at the time of writing.

moved onto a new chapter with the addition of national gym franchise Crunch Fitness, which is bringing flocks of people into the southern half of the plaza since it opened off North Davis Highway.

Plans submitted to the city of Pensacola show it could get a new tenant soon. However, this addition may not appeal to as many potential customers as its neighbors.

If the plans for their first Florida branch are approved, the loan agency will join a plaza with multiple popular businesses, including Hobby Lobby, Beall’s and Petland, that still has room to grow.

Trader Joe’s even showed interest in leasing a space inside the plaza at one point, according to a showcase of the property by Cushman & Wakefield.

Crunch Fitness, a gym that signed a 15-year lease for its space, is has help revitalizing interest in Pensacola Square, along with recent additions like Fuji Sushi & Grill & Hotspot as well as incoming tenants like Concentra.

Concentra, one of the top occupational health services providers in the U.S., will open inside the former home of Rainbow clothing.

While the address for the project is 6235 N. Davis Hwy, the alterations won’t be carried out on the Hobby Lobby and Books-A-Million chunk of the plaza.

That section was purchased last year for $7 million by Destiny Worship Center, a not-for-profit corporation based in Destin with locations in Crestview, Freeport, Fort Walton Beach and Panama City Beach but none in Pensacola, sparking concern that the businesses would be replaced by a new church.

Rob Bell, senior advisor and asset manager for Bellcore Commercial, who represented Destiny Worship Center in the sale, emphasized this week that it’s still unlikely Hobby Lobby will leave the plaza anytime soon because they still hold a long-term lease inside the building.

Finance

State aims to reclaim $850K from campaign finance vendor

Published

19 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

State aims to reclaim 0K from campaign finance vendor

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The state is now looking to recoup around $850,000 from a company they said didn’t meet deadlines to create a campaign finance website.

It’s The Guardian and was supposed to be up and running in October, but that didn’t happen. The Guardian is the name of the state’s online campaign finance reporting system.

“They were unable to deliver a compliant system,” said Ethics Commission Executive Director Leeanne Bruce Boone during their meeting on Friday.

The company at the center of it all is RFD and Associates, based in Austin, Texas. They were hired in December 2024 to begin the project of creating The Guardian 2.0.

The previous company, according to the commission, was with Civix. However, problems arose between the state and that company, so they had to shift and find a new vendor.

The commission appropriated around $2.2 million for the endeavor.

Months went by, and according to the commission’s timeline, deadlines were missed altogether.

Dates in June were missed, and in August, the company received a warning from the Ethics Commission. The Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) had to get involved in October and conduct an independent technical assessment.

The October date was proposed by the company, but it wasn’t met. In November, a formal notice of system failures and vendor non-compliance was noted.

“None of the milestones were met,” said Bruce Boone during the meeting. “Extensive corrective steps over many months. Written warnings were sent.”

At the Friday meeting, the commission voted to cut the contract with the company, and a contract with the previous one was then sent out.

“Terminate the contract and proceed with legal action,” said Bruce Boone.

Bruce Boone said that in total $850,000 was actually spent throughout this process on RFD. The new contract with Civix, she said, is estimated to cost over $230,000 and should last for three years. The effort is needed ahead of the 2026 election.

Now the commission has decided to bring in the Attorney General’s Office to see if they can get the money back.

“I take very seriously my role to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent fairly and appropriately,” AG Drummond said in a statement. “My office stands ready to take legal action to recover damages, hold those responsible accountable, and work with the Ethics Commission to ensure the public has a reliable means to access campaign finance reports.”

News 4 attempted to get a statement out of the Chief Operating Officer of RFD and Associates, who had been in the meeting but quickly left after the commission voted.

“No comment,” said COO Scott Glover.

What would you say to taxpayers about that?

In response, he said, “I don’t agree with the ethics commission’s decision. That’s all I have to say.”

The Guardian had been delayed by several months, but the commission did respond appropriately and timely manner to requests made for documents.

The Guardian was back online Friday afternoon.

Finance

One.funding and MV Commercial launch MV Asset Finance

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

One.funding and MV Commercial launch MV Asset Finance

Representatives from One.funding worked closely with MV Commercial’s team. Credit: M Isolation photo / Shutterstock.com.

One.funding has partnered with UK-based MV Commercial to introduce MV Asset Finance, which offers an alternative method for MV Commercial’s customers to secure finance, according to a LinkedIn post.

In developing MV Asset Finance, representatives from One.funding worked closely with MV Commercial’s team to better understand business priorities and the requirements of their customer base.

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According to the post, the service aims to remove friction, ensure complete transparency, and enable a seamless process from initial engagement to completion by integrating support within MV Commercial’s operations and presenting it under their brand.

MV Commercial supplies fleet solutions for vehicles within the UK.

The company’s offerings include trucks, trailers, and light commercial vehicles that are available for sale, rental, or contract hire.

Its current rental and Ready to Go fleets consist of 2,000 specialist trucks, vans, and trailers across various depots in Airdrie, Grantham, Livingston, Oxford, Haydock, and London Luton.

One.funding CEO Lee Schofield said: “At One.funding, we’ve 20 years of experience in building point-of-sale finance that fits naturally into how businesses sell. MV Asset Finance shows what’s possible when that experience is embedded into the MV Commercial journey, making it easier for their customers to keep moving and keep growing.”

A recent example involved AMK Plant & Tipper Hire, which added a DAF FAD XD450 Construction eight-by-four tipper truck to its fleet, the company’s first DAF tipper purchase.

The transaction was finalised in three weeks; MV Commercial supplied the vehicle while financing was arranged through the newly launched MV Asset Finance framework.