Cyclone, absences threaten to dull Hong Kong finance meeting
A tropic storm and absences of VIP guests are casting a shadow over a financial conference meant to help Hong Kong restore its image as a financial hub and destination for business travel
HONG KONG (AP) — A tropic storm and absences of VIP guests have cast a shadow over a financial conference meant to help Hong Kong restore its image as a financial hub and destination for business travel.
The first major conference since the city lifted COVID-19 quarantine restrictions was due to begin Wednesday. But at least four top executives from institutions including the CEOs of Citigroup and Barclays, who had been expected to attend the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit, are dropping out.
The Hong Kong Observatory is forecasting that tropical storm Nalgae will likely bring torrential rains as it passes 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the southwest, in further bad news for organizers of the meeting.
At least four top finance executives initially slated to attend the conference this week have dropped out. They include Blackstone Inc. President Jonathan Gray and Citigroup Inc.’s CEO Jane Fraser, who will no longer attend the conference after contracting COVID-19. The CEO of Barclays, C.S. Venkatakrishnan, also has scrapped plans to go. Gray was slated to speak in a panel on global uncertainty, while Fraser was supposed to discuss sustainable finance.
