Tag: Antoine Martin
Dr. Antoine Martin
– Co-Founder | The Asia-Pacific Circle –
Head of Insights & Co-Founder – The Asia Pacific Circle.
Co-Founder & Asia CEO – Impactified.
Dr. Antoine Martin is the Head of Insights & Research of The Asia-Pacific Circle, which he co-founded in 2016 in Hong Kong with Philippe Bonnet. Antoine is also the Co-Founder and Asia CEO of Impactified, a business advisory firm based in Hong Kong which helps entrepreneurs with building Impact strategies.
Prior to this, Dr. Antoine Martin was the Head of Impact Strategy of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Law, a leading academic institution in Asia.
Dr. Martin is particularly interested in entrepreneurship and Impact Thinking, but as a former researcher he has also analyzed and commented on developments in international trade and Fintech policy, with a particular focus on Asia-Pacific relations.
Beyond following Asia-Pacific trends, Antoine enjoys pushing, challenging and helping entrepreneurs, lawyers, bankers and experts of all kinds to identify their message and formulate their ideas. His ultimate goal being, of course, to give them more tools to engage in value-creating discussions with their interlocutors. Now, can you see a trend? Would you like to share some thoughts? Please get in touch!
Selected Insights by Dr. Antoine Martin:
In this Asia-Pacific Insight, Antoine Martin elaborates on educational and entrepreneurial mindsets. Using insights from educational strategies used in some leading Universities in the United States, he argues entrepreneurial approaches to doing research have the power to create more Impactful Universities and that regional institutions would benefit from a paradigm shift.
In this Asia-Pacific Insight, Fintech & transformation expert Nick Grenham explores recent developments related to open banking, virtual banks, Open API policy and financial inclusion in Hong Kong. While Hong Kong has made significant efforts lately to further develop its fintech policy framework, indeed questions remain as to whether recent initiatives will have enough teeth to change the lives of the many who still have limited access to finance in one of Asia's major financial cities. Open banking won't bring financial inclusion to Hong Kong, Grenham writes, unless...
In this Asia-Pacific Insight originally published in the South China Morning Post, Philippe Bonnet and Antoine Martin comment on the recent of an EU-Asia Connectivity strategic policy proposal by the European Commission. Whilst building ties between Asia and Europe make a lot of sense from a business cooperation perspective, they write, trying to create connectivity "the European way" - i.e. by imposing a rules-based mindset to Asia - is a rather surprising idea. A change in mindsets would be interesting, however...
In this Asia Financial Insight, Jack Chia and Antoine Martin comment on the recent release by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of a framework on the regulation of virtual Assets. Understand, cryptocurrencies and related investments. The initiative goes in the right direction, they conclude, and might help position Hong Kong as a moving-forward financial place. Considering the complexity currently surrounding Digital Assets and cryptos, indeed, regulating portfolio managers and fund distributors could bring certainty and trust to the market. The challenge, however, will consist in building a framework applicable to crypto exchanges, which remain the unregulated actor in the industry.
On July 18th, 2018, the HKMA released its Open API Framework as a means to promote the development of Hong Kong's Fintech, banking and financial services industry. The initiative has been commented widely, and the idea that new applications will now be made available is often used as a conclusion. In this Asia-Pacific financial insight, Antoine Martin goes through the HKMA's Open API Framework document to explain its ins and outs. After a careful analysis of the document, he concludes that the stakes are much higher than mere flexibility. Especially considering the regulatory and financial burden to be imposed on banks.
Japan - Europe free trade insights: The Japan EU free trade agreement (JEEPA) is a fairly comprehensive agreement which answers the most pressing issues in international trade and investment regulation. From a facilitation perspective, the agreement contains the typical provisions on the market. Note, for instance, that the scope of application is very broad and tends to prohibit "any duty or charge of any kind". Otherwise, the agreement facilitates trade in services, trade in financial services, investment and e-commerce whilst ensuring fair competition and intellectual property rights preservation. At the same time, the agreement does not only open free trade, it also preserves some regulatory room to Japan and the …
Asia-Pacific Financial Markets Insights: Antoine Martin analyses the recent release of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's (HKMA) Revised Guideline on Authorization of Virtual Banks. Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial places, yet the city's banking offer is limited for many. This move by the HKMA creates a significant new potential from a financial services perspective, but there is more. The Revised Virtual Banks Guideline has several objectives. First, opening access to financial services to non-banks. Second, solving a market deficiency which so far has left many citizens un-banked. Third, pushing Hong Kong's Fintech policy a little further. Keep reading for more.
US - China Trade Insights: Antoine Martin and Professor Bryan Mercurio (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) discuss China - United States relations in light of recent trade developments. With the announcement of new tariffs against Chinese steel and Aluminum, President Trump has forced President Xi to react. This analysis of the'trade war' developments leads to the conclusion that the political game is changing. On the one hand, the U.S. is turning nationalistic and protectionist, even if it harms itself in the process. On the other, China is reversing the usual rhetoric and positioning itself as the god international citizen who plays by the rules. Keep reading for more.
In this Asia-Pacific financial Insight, Antoine Martin analyzes recent regional cryptocurrency developments and asks why governments seem so keen on developing their own sovereign digital currencies lately. He concludes that, somehow, the original spirit of cryptocurrencies - avoiding state interference - is being distorted by a variety of initiatives aimed at creating sovereign digital currencies.
In this Asia-Pacific financial insight, Antoine Martin comments on recent moves against Bitcoins, Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and crypto exchanges by China's financial authorities. From speculation controls to ambitious political projects, the relationship between China, Bitcoins and cryptocurrencies in general is complex. This Insight aims at bringing some clarity to the debate.
Asia-Pacific Fintech Insights: In may 2017 the FSDC released a Report named The Future of Fintech in Hong Kong as a means to help promoting the development of Hong Kong Fintech industry. The report has been commented widely, but it was mainly interpreted as pointing to the limits of Hong Kong's Fintech policy. In reality, however, this document is more like a business plan and roadmap on, as its title suggests, the future of Fintechs in Hong Kong. Hence, it deserves more attention.
Financial Markets: Antoine Martin comments on the introduction of Chinese companies into MSCI's Emerging Markets Index after three consecutive years of rejection
Trade Research: Protectionism has become a trendy word recently and appears to be on the rise in various parts of the world. Starting with the United States. In reality, complex negotiations have eroded trade leadership at the WTO level and the trade policy dynamics in Washington and Brussels seem significantly compromised
Asia-Pacific Financial Insights: The Hong Kong – China Bond Connect has recently made the headlines following a public announcement in March 2017 by Mainland China’s Premier that further fixed-income markets links would be established across borders. Would the news help reinforcing China’s and Hong Kong’s financial positions in the Asia-Pacific and globally? In this Hong Kong and China markets insight, Pascal Charlot and Antoine Martin analyze the recent developments and explain their financial relevance.
Asia-Pacific Insights; Protectionism, elections, territorial stakes, foreign policy has become an increasingly relevant theme lately. In 2017, in fact, the global political economy as we know it will change. Foreign policies will be altered
China - US Relations: Antoine Martin analyzes Mr Trump's TPP and Trade policy, arguing that the 'America Great Again' idea will sooner than later give China a significant leadership role
We are living in troubled times. The British are paving their way out of the EU (trying, anyway), the major agreements which were once expected to foster growth between the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific or Canada are seriously compromised. Trade has shifted from policy goal to political incorrectness. Let's face it
Globalization has become a major topic over the last decades and years. The issue is broad, ranging from policymaking to legal and financial, not to forget politics and politicisation.
Asia-Pacific Insight: The steel industry is one of China's most significant industries, but it lives difficult times at the moment. In fact, steel overcapacity in China is not just a reality, it has become a source of diplomatic troubles. In this China insight, Antoine Martin comments on the Agreement reached by the United States and China on the matter. He concludes that little change is to be expected. Beijing has little margin of maneuver on the topic, hence overcapacity is likely to remain a burden in China-US relations.
Monetary Policy: Antoine Martin comments on recent monetary talks involving IMF Director Christine Lagarde and Central Bank Governor Kuroda regarding capital controls in China
Asia-Pacific Trade Insights: Antoine Martin comments on recent regional developments pertaining to trade negotiations in a tense APEC, TPP and FTAAP context
Whether or not China should be considered as a market economy country is a polemical topic at the moment. On the one hand, Beijing claims that it has made significant efforts to open its economy to world markets since its accession to the WTO. On the other hand, the major competing countries such as the United States or the European Union complain that such effort are not significant enough and argue that China should not be considered a market economy. In this China business insight, Antoine Martin comments on recent EU and US talks regarding the issue.
Two years after Bali, the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference is taking place in Nairobi from December 15th to December 18th. Yet, the Conference’s Goals are not seen as ambitious and, despite the long known failure of the Doha Round negotiations, some of its remains seem to persist. For better or worse
Part of the political economy challenges ahead is the evolution of trade liberalization negotiations in the Asia-Pacific region. In a comment dated June 2014, Jayant Menon (Lead Economist at the Asian Development Bank’s Office of Regional Economic Integration) actually presented a rather interesting snapshot of Asia-Pacific trade negotiations
