HR received a welcome boost in the form of a HK$10,000 per month subsidy for bringing on board new Fintech talent to their organisations. The Financial Services & Treasury Bureau launched the FinTech Anti-epidemic Scheme for Talent Development (FAST Scheme) on 2 July 2020. Hong Kong-registered companies and local not-for-profit organisations can now apply for a wage subsidy of 10,000 HKD per month to offer one full-time FinTech position. This offer, under the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund, is only for HK residents over 18 years of age. The subsidy scheme has a quota of 1,000 places, awarded on a first-come-first-served basis and will run for up to 12 months.
To qualify for the scheme, each FinTech company or not-for-profit must be registered in Hong Kong and have commenced business before January 1 2020. It must also be conducting substantial FinTech activities from a physical office in Hong Kong. Candidates must be a holder of accredited certificates, diplomas and degrees obtained in programs of post-secondary and tertiary institutes in disciplines including information technology, digital media, accounting, or business management, or alternatively, possess relevant work experience. The Bureau has appointed Cyberport to run the scheme and the scheme is open for online applications from early July 2020.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
