Anthony Sar, Co-founder and CEO of Finoverse and the driving force behind Hong Kong Fintech Week, joins Theo on One Vision to share the story behind one of Asia's most iconic innovation gatherings. From a bar conversation about hitting 5,000 attendees (when they had 300) to welcoming 45,000 people from 120+ economies at their 10th anniversary, Anthony reflects on what it takes to build something that genuinely keeps people in the room.

At the center of the conversation is Samantha, built in-house by Finoverse. She acts as your personal AI networking agent. She interviews you, learns what you're looking for, and makes introductions at scale. After a successful pilot at last year’s FinTech Week as well as the recent Genesis Festival, Samantha will return to Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026 this November.

This year’s conference is aptly themed Fintech Nexus: Bridging the World, Building the Future. It is a rallying call to drive connectivity and collaboration across global and Chinese Mainland markets, at a time when the world feels more fragmented than ever.

One World, One Planet. This episode invites us to come together to foster collaboration for a more inclusive financial services ecosystem for everyone.

🔥 Hot Take: "AI can't have coffee with you. It can't go for a hike. It can't watch a comedy with you."

🔥 Hot Take: “There's so much happening in mainland China and Asia that the rest of the world simply doesn't see."

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Keywords: AI, Fintech, FinancialServices, Startups, Hong Kong

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

02:59 A decade of Finoverse and Hong Kong Fintech Week

07:39 Introducing Samantha: The AI Host

10:13 The Future of Events and Networking

19:07 How AI Makes Human Connection More Valuable, Not Less

27:55 Hong Kong Fintech Week 2026: Fintech Nexus: Bridging the World, Building the Future

33:01 Closing Thoughts: One World, One Planet

More about our guest

🌐Anthony Sar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysar/

🌐FinTech Week Hong Kong: https://www.fintechweek.hk/

More about our host and One Vision Podcast

🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/

🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/

🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/

🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision