Ant Digital Technologies, the technology arm of Ant Group, has chosen Hong Kong for its international headquarters in a show of commitment to artificial intelligence (AI) and Web3 technologies, the unit announced on Tuesday.
The subsidiary cited Hong Kong’s role as a “bridgehead” for its global strategy. The company plans to establish joint laboratories with local universities and research institutes, it said in a statement on Tuesday. Ant is the fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post.
“By establishing our international headquarters here, we reaffirm our commitment to the AI and Web3 industries,” said Zhao Wenbiao, CEO of Ant Digital Technologies.
Hong Kong has been pushing to become a technology hub, with a particular focus on blockchain and virtual assets in recent years.
The move reflects broader efforts by Ant, which was set up by Alibaba founder Jack Ma two decades ago, to step up the overseas expansion of its blockchain and AI technologies amid a global AI frenzy spurred by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and more recently fuelled by China’s DeepSeek.
Ant aims to leverage Hong Kong’s role as a “robust financial ecosystem to advance Web3 and AI technologies while enhancing digital asset circulation”, it said.
