Hong Kong Backs LEAP East to Deepen Saudi-Asia Capital Ties

LEAP, launched in Riyadh in 2022, has become a flagship platform for Saudi Arabia’s push to connect its digital economy with global technology and investment markets. Its first expansion into Asia places Hong Kong at the center of a prospective capital corridor linking Gulf investors with Asia-Pacific companies in artificial intelligence, fintech, biotechnology, green energy and advanced agriculture. The initiative is led by Tahaluf alongside Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones.

LEAP East is scheduled for July 8-10, 2026, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre after securing formal backing from Hong Kong’s Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau. The Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises is a Supporting Partner, while Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation is the exclusive Tech Ecosystem Partner. Organizers say more than 200 investors, including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Macquarie Capital and Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, will attend, representing nearly $2 trillion in assets under management and close to $1 trillion in undeployed capital.