The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission is once again participating in global regulatory efforts to combat illegal activities by financial influencers.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) stated that it is collaborating with securities regulators around the world to crack down on illegal activities by financial influencers on social media. In this initiative aimed at combating illegal activities by financial influencers, multiple regulatory agencies have taken a series of measures including enforcement and supervision actions to educate investors and raise their awareness. Members of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) understand that illegal activities by financial influencers are a global phenomenon, so they actively participated in the "Global Action Week to Combat Illegal Financial Influencers" held during the week of April 20, 2026. The number of participating members has nearly doubled compared to when this initiative was first introduced in 2025. This year, a total of 17 IOSCO members (including the SFC) participated in this regulatory initiative. Ms. Ashley Alder, SFC Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the IOSCO Asia-Pacific Regional Committee, said, "As financial promotion becomes increasingly common on social media, regulators around the world must work together to protect investors from illegal financial promotions and create a fair online environment. The SFC is committed to supporting this global initiative as part of our efforts to combat online fraud that often crosses jurisdictional boundaries." Enforcement actions by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission: Over the past year, the SFC has made progress in combating illegal activities by financial influencers through strong enforcement actions and cooperation with social media platforms to remove suspicious posts and accounts involving unlicensed activities. The achievements of the SFC's actions include: Successfully obtaining a court sentence of imprisonment for a financial influencer who was previously providing paid investment advice in social media chat groups without a license and was convicted of criminal offences; Issuing compliance advice to a financial influencer promoting overseas virtual asset trading platforms in Hong Kong without a license; Submitting 12 reports to major social media platforms since July 2025, involving 33 suspicious posts or accounts, with over 90% of reported posts or accounts promptly removed by the relevant platforms; Combating illegal activities by financial influencers through joint local actions under the "Consumer Protection Against Deceptive Marketing Practices Chapter 3.0" with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and other local agencies, as well as regional cooperation initiated by the SFC in the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee's anti-fraud working group of IOSCO, utilizing social media platforms effectively. The SFC has also enhanced its ability to detect financial fraud on social media platforms through its internal Artificial Intelligence Social Media Monitoring System (SENSOR) introduced in the third quarter of 2025. The system uses AI and natural language processing technology to monitor multiple warning signs on social media platforms, including illegal financial promotions by financial influencers.