(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Financial Secretary Paul Chan said today the main purpose of the Exchange Fund is to defend Hong Kong's financial stability and its financial system.

The 2026-27 Budget proposed to transfer $150 billion from the Exchange Fund to the Capital Works Reserve Fund in the coming two years to support the Northern Metropolis and other infrastructure projects.

At the Budget press conference this afternoon, Mr Chan explained the rationale behind the transfer and emphasised that it is a safe play.

“Last year, the Exchange Fund made an investment income of over $300 billion. Now we are transferring from the Exchange Fund, about half of it, $150 billion, in two installments commencing from 2026-27.”

“Having regard to the current size of the Exchange Fund, which is over $4,100 billion, and considering that we are just taking half of their income earned last year, back to the Government, also for investment purposes, we do think this is a considered, prudent move,” Mr Chan added.

“We are very confident that given our various measures in place and the strong buffer of the Exchange Fund, we would be able to weather any volatility or even attack to our financial system.”