which has proved essential to growing our global financial business and underscores our legacy of innovation in financial infrastructures. however, to remain competitive in an ever - evolving landscape, we must continuously build upon this rich heritage. as financial technology takes centre stage in the future of finance, we invite you to join us in showcasing hong kong's innovative mindset and ability to conduct pioneering work in the tokenisation market. by doing so, we not only reinforce hong kong's status as a premier international financial centre, but also create an environment for new business opportunities, talent and expertise. our commitment to innovation will continue to draw global players and skilled professionals to our city, fostering a vibrant digital asset ecosystem. together, we can position hong kong as a leader in the financial technology revolution, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of the global financial landscape. thank you. 3 / 4 bis - central bankers'speeches 4 / 4 bis - central bankers'speeches

policy. for the past twenty years, the meetings have been held on the first tuesday of each month, except in january. of course, meetings can be convened at any time, if needed, and the board can be contacted by phone in the event of some urgent matter. such events are rare, though they have occurred occasionally in the past. it has come to be regarded as a good thing, however, that policy decisions are, in normal circumstances, taken at meetings with a known schedule. such a schedule for decision - making meetings, as well as for regular documents ( such as the quarterly statement on monetary policy ) is increasingly the norm internationally. even some countries that do not have a decision - making board have established a fixed timetable for making and announcing decisions on monetary policy. this is quite efficient, in that it helps financial markets and other observers in allocating their own resources – they know when to pay attention! – and lessens unnecessary speculative activity. internal processes the monthly schedule naturally provides the rhythm for the staff ’ s efforts. in the case of the economic group, the process begins about two weeks or so before the board meeting date ( that is, not long after the previous meeting has finished ). relevant desk staff who monitor the data flow begin the preparation of comprehensive documents giving details of all the relevant information. this documentation ultimately forms part of the detailed briefing paper on the economy presented to the board, and is updated continually as the information comes in ( some of the key data, like the cpi, typically come in quite late in the process ). at the same time as the documents are in preparation, there is a sequence of meetings. around twelve days prior to the board meeting, we in the economic group hold a staff meeting to focus on the available economic information. we review data on the rest of the world, domestic economic activity, prices, wages, the labour market, and financial conditions. the full range of economic data is quite extensive : we track over 2000 data series on the australian and international economy. hence the focus has to be on those pieces of information that are most significant and potentially view - changing. we are also exposed to relevant pieces of analytical or research work which can inform our assessment of the economy ’ s development. at this meeting, there is a good deal of questioning about various elements of the figures, and in particular about apparent contradictions or tensions which inevitably arise in the short run data flow. much of the process of data analysis for the purposes of policy