Continued trade protectionism, fluctuation of major currencies, supply chain disruptions, persistent high interest rates and inflationary pressure in some countries, tight fiscal policy and monetary policy, high commodity prices and energy costs, cost of living crisis, continuing geopolitical tensions and increasing climate risks have created uncertainties and volatility in the world economy and global financial markets. Continued slowdown in global economic growth could lead to economic contractions in certain markets, commercial and consumer delinquencies, weakened consumer confidence, increased market volatility and decline in the value of the assets.

The Group is a leading multinational corporation with businesses presently in Hong Kong, the Mainland, Singapore, Continental Europe, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom (“UK”). Any adverse economic, social and/or political conditions in those countries and places in which the Group operates may potentially impact the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

The trends in the industries in which the Group operates, including the market sentiment and conditions, asset values, the mark to market value of investment securities, the currency environment and interest rate cycles, may pose significant risks to the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects. There can be no assurance that the combination of industry trends and interest rates the Group experiences in the future will not adversely affect its businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

Inflation and interest rates remain high in many countries. The interest rate cycle has impact on the aggregate demand from all sectors, which may in turn affect the businesses of the Group. While the Group regularly reviews its exposure to interest rate fluctuations and may manage such exposure using hedging instruments, there can be no guarantee that the Group will not be affected by the interest rate exposure.

In particular, certain businesses of the Group are subject to regulatory regimes in which local interest rates are taken into account in the calculation of the regulated cost of capital, which flows through to allowed revenue. There can be no assurance that any changes in the regulated cost of capital can be fully mitigated by the businesses. Furthermore, income from finance and treasury operations is dependent upon the capital markets, interest rate and currency environment, and the worldwide economic and market conditions, and therefore there can be no assurance that changes in these conditions will not adversely affect the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects. The volatility in the financial markets may also adversely affect the income to be derived by the Group from its finance and treasury activities.

The Group is a leading multinational corporation with businesses presently in Hong Kong, the Mainland, Singapore, Continental Europe, Australia, Canada and the UK, and is exposed to potential currency fluctuations in these countries and places in which the Group operates. The results of the Group are reported in Hong Kong dollars but its various subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures may receive revenue and incur expenses in other currencies. Any currency fluctuations on translation of the accounts of these subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures and also on the repatriation of earnings, equity investments and loans may therefore impact the Group’s financial conditions, results of operations, asset values or liabilities.

To minimise currency risk exposure in respect of its investments in other countries, the Group generally hedges those investments with (a) currency swaps and (b) appropriate level of borrowings denominated in the local currencies. The Group has not entered into any speculative derivative transaction.

Although currency exposures have been managed by the Group, a depreciation or fluctuation of the currencies in which the Group conducts operations relative to the Hong Kong dollars could adversely affect its businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

The local business risks in different countries and cities in which the Group operates could have a material impact on the businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects. The Group has investments in different countries and cities around the world and the Group is, and may increasingly become, exposed to different and changing political, social, legal, tax, regulatory and environmental requirements at the local, national or international level. Also, new guidelines, directives, policies or measures by governments, whether fiscal, tax, regulatory, environmental or other competitive changes, may lead to an increase in additional or unplanned operating expenses and capital expenditures, increase in market capacity, reduction in government subsidies, may pose a risk to the overall investment return of the Group’s businesses and may delay or prevent the commercial operation of a business, which may result in loss of revenue and profit and adversely affect the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

Governments and multinational organisations (including but not limited to the State Department and the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States, His Majesty’s Treasury, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation or other UK government agency, the European Union (“EU”) or any member state thereof and the United Nations), from time to time administer certain laws and regulations that impose restrictions with respect to activities, transmission of funds or transactions with certain countries, governments, entities and individuals that are the subject of economic sanctions. There can be no assurance that such sanctions or other restrictions will not affect the jurisdictions in which the Group conducts its business, any of the Group’s business partners, suppliers, customers or otherwise. To the extent that any such sanction or restriction is imposed in any jurisdictions where the Group’s business operates, the Group may need to cease operations in those jurisdictions and suffer losses in that regard. If any of the Group’s business partners or suppliers are impacted by sanctions or restrictions, provision of goods, services or support by them may be disrupted or discontinued, which may affect the Group’s ability to continue to operate related businesses. If any of the Group’s business partners is affected by sanctions or restrictions, the discontinuation or disruption of strategic alliance with such business partners may also affect the Group’s ability to continue to operate related businesses and/or may result in suspension of operations. There can be no assurance that the Group will be able to obtain alternative goods, services, support or alliance it needs for the operation of its business, in a timely manner or at competitive terms, and no assurance that any compensation recoverable from business partners or suppliers for the discontinued or disrupted supply, service, support or alliance will be available or adequate. If any of the Group’s customers are affected by sanctions or restrictions, the Group may be forced to discontinue the provision of services or goods to such customers and the Group will suffer losses in that regard. If any of the Group’s assets are in the possession of such customers, there can be no assurance that such assets can be repossessed by the Group especially if such assets are located in countries or regions subject to sanctions or restrictions and no assurance that any compensation recoverable from such customers or insurers for the Group’s failure to repossess such assets will be available. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on the Group’s financial condition and results of operations.

In the ordinary course of its operations, various businesses of the Group collect, store and use data that is protected by personal data protection laws in the different countries in which they operate. As regulatory focus on privacy issues continues to increase and worldwide laws and regulations concerning the handling of personal information expand and become more complex, potential risks related to personal data collection and use within the Group’s businesses are expected to intensify. 

In the event that any relevant business of the Group is unable to meet its obligations under applicable data protection laws, it may be subject to regulatory actions or civil claims. The expenses on remediation, costs of regulatory or legal actions, and monetary damages and/or reputational damage suffered as a result of such action, could have a material adverse effect on the Group’s financial conditions and results of operations.

With the fast expanding adoption of internet, networking, information and operational technology, rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, cyber fraud, cyber attacks and security breaches around the world are occurring at a higher frequency and intensity. The Group’s critical utility, data and information assets are not immune from attack, damage or unauthorised access. Cybersecurity risks could have material adverse effect on the operational and business performance, as well as the business reputation of the Group. The Group continuously strives to enhance the cybersecurity protection of its business.

There can be no assurance that the Group will be free from cyber fraud, cyber attacks or security breaches or that it will not experience any major damage to its assets or activities. Cyber fraud, cyber attacks or security breaches suffered by the Group’s systems could result in significant impact on the Group’s business reputation, businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

The International Accounting Standards Board has from time to time issued new and revised International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). As accounting standards continue to develop, the International Accounting Standards Board may in the future issue more new and revised IFRS and the Group may be required to adopt new accounting policies which might or could have a significant impact on the Group’s financial position or results of operations.

The Group is a leading multinational corporation with businesses presently in Hong Kong, the Mainland, Singapore, Continental Europe, Australia, Canada and the UK. In recent years, a series of social incidents, terrorist activities and geopolitical tensions occurred across the globe that resulted in economic losses, multiple deaths, casualties, persistent supply chain disruptions and volatility in commodity markets. There can be no assurance that countries in which the Group operates will not have any social incidents or they will be immune from terrorist threats or geopolitical tensions, and if these events occur, they may have an adverse impact on the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

Some of the Group’s assets and businesses, and many of the Group’s customers and suppliers are located in areas that would be affected in the medium to long term by climate change. Climate change may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, and some of which can result in natural disasters. It could disrupt supply chains, interrupt business operations and cause financial and physical damages. Alteration in weather patterns, such as typhoons, droughts, or rainfall amount may cause shortage of crops for food and other natural resources. The harsher temperatures in some locations may also pose an increased risk for staff working in those locations. Changes in microclimates for certain locations may render certain businesses obsolete. Some governments are also beginning to introduce legislation or requirements to restrict emissions and other environmental protective measures. Some regulators have issued new disclosure requirements in relation to climate-related financial risk disclosures and plan to mandate the disclosures. Regulations, new disclosure requirements, disruption and damage arising from climate change could have a material impact on the Group’s businesses and adversely affect the Group’s financial conditions and results of operations.

There can be no assurance that climate change and its impact including rising sea levels, prolonged droughts, heat waves, severe storms or flooding and other extreme weather patterns will not occur and result in major disruption or damage to the Group’s assets and businesses, which could materially and adversely affect the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations and growth prospects.

Many countries where the Group has material business operations seek to transition to low carbon economies. Governments are introducing legislation and taking policy actions to restrict emissions and implementing measures which would incentivise environmental protection activities. There is increasing pressure on the Group’s businesses to support transition to low-carbon economy.

In the journey to a low-carbon economy, the use of resources of low-carbon emission are encouraged or made compulsory over time, while the consumption of conventional resources of high carbon emission are progressively reduced, replaced or prohibited. Changes to governmental policy, legal and regulatory requirements, opinions of the investment community, financial markets, technology, supply chain and consumer behaviour as a result of the transition may occur in ways unexpected by or faster than the anticipation of the Group’s businesses, which could have a material impact on the Group’s businesses and adversely affect the Group’s financial conditions, results of operations and business reputation.

Some of the Group’s assets and businesses, and many of the Group’s customers and suppliers are located in areas at risk of damage from earthquakes, floods, storms, drought, bushfires, frost and similar disasters and the occurrence of any of these disasters could disrupt the Group’s businesses and materially and adversely affect the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects. There can be no assurance that earthquakes, floods, storms, drought, bushfires, extreme weather or other natural disasters will not occur and result in major damage to the Group’s property development projects, infrastructure and utility assets, or assets or facilities or on the general supporting infrastructure facilities in the vicinity, which could adversely affect the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

Although COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, the repercussions of the pandemic may continue to affect different economies around the world, including the places of businesses in which the Group operates. There can be no assurance that there will not be another significant global outbreak of a severe communicable disease, and if such an outbreak were to occur, it could have an adverse impact on the operations of the Group and its results of operations might suffer. The potential impact on the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects will depend on a range of factors, including the duration, severity and scope of the pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on economic activity globally, the possibility of resurgence and variants, and the measures adopted by governments.

The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU, which was signed on 30 December 2020 and applied provisionally as from 1 January 2021, entered into force on 1 May 2021. It sets out preferential arrangements in various aspects such as trade, security, areas on ongoing collaboration/cooperation and governance. Brexit has created significant uncertainty about the new economic and social partnership between the UK and the EU, and has impacted trade intensity, labour availability, supply chain, exchange rates and the gross domestic product levels in the UK. 

The Group has significant presence in the UK through investments in the property, infrastructure and pub businesses, and is, and may increasingly become, exposed to changes in the local political, economic, and regulatory conditions. While the long term implication of Brexit remains to be fully seen and understood, the continuing uncertainties following Brexit could adversely affect the UK economy and the strength of the British pound, which may in turn potentially impact the Group’s businesses, asset values and reported profits derived from its operations in the UK.

There exist general risks inherent in property developments and in the ownership of properties, including, among other things, (a) rising construction costs; (b) financing for developments may not be available on favourable terms; (c) construction may not be completed on schedule or within budget especially due to issues such as inclement weather, aging workforce, labour shortage, skills mismatch and succession gap as well as the escalation of material prices; (d) long-term financing may not be available on completion of construction; (e) developed properties may not be sold or leased on profitable terms; (f) intense competition from other developers or property owners may lead to vacant properties or an inability to sell or rent properties on favourable terms; (g) purchasers or tenants may default; (h) products may face recall or loss in customer confidence due to contractor’s failure in meeting product quality requirement; (i) properties held for rental purpose will need to be renovated, repaired and re-let on a periodic basis; (j) it may not be possible to renew leases or re-let spaces when existing leases expire; and (k) the property market conditions are subject to changes in environmental laws and regulations and zoning laws and other governmental rules and fiscal policies. Property values and rental values are also affected by factors such as the changes in the relationships between countries or sovereign states, the state of the local economy, political and societal developments, governmental regulations and changes in planning or tax laws, levels of interest rates and consumer prices, the overall supply of properties, and the imposition of governmental measures to dampen property prices. Taxes, levies, stamp duties and similar taxes or charges payable for the vacancy of first-hand private residential units, the property management services, the sale or transfer of residential properties, as well as policies and rules on profit repatriation may be imposed by the relevant authorities from time to time.

Investment in property is generally illiquid, which may limit the ability of the Group to timely monetise property assets.

Supply of land is subject to the development of land policies in different markets. Acquisition of land in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas markets may be subject to various regulatory requirements or restrictions as well as changes in demand and supply dynamics. Future growth prospects of the property development business are therefore affected by the availability and price levels of prime sites in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas markets.

The Group may be subject to fines or sanctions if it does not pay land premiums or does not develop properties according to the terms of the land grant documents. Under the Mainland laws and regulations relating to idle land, if a developer fails to develop land according to the terms of the land grant contracts (including but not limited to, the payment of fees, the designated uses of land and the time for commencement and completion of development of the land), the relevant authorities may issue a warning to or impose a fine on the developer or require the developer to forfeit the land use rights. Any violation of the terms of the land grant contracts may also restrict a developer’s ability to participate, or prevent it from participating, in future land bidding. Furthermore, there are specific requirements regarding idle land and other aspects of land use rights grant contracts in many cities on the Mainland, and the local authorities are expected to enforce such rules in accordance with the instructions from the central government of the Mainland.

Circumstances leading to the repossession of land or delays in the completion of a property development may arise, in particular, in view of the increasing complications in governmental approval process and if the Group’s land is repossessed, the Group will not be able to continue its property development on the forfeited land, recover the costs incurred for the initial acquisition of the repossessed land or recover development costs and other costs incurred up to the date of the repossession. Furthermore, regulations relating to idle land or other aspects of land use rights may become more restrictive or punitive in the future. If the Group does not comply with the terms of any land use rights grant contracts as a result of delays in project development, or as a result of other factors, the Group may lose the opportunity to develop the project, as well as its past investments in the land, which may materially and adversely impact its businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

Properties could suffer physical damage by fire or other causes and the Group may be exposed to potential risks associated with public liability claims, resulting in losses (including loss of rent and value of properties) which may not be fully compensated for by insurance proceeds, and such events may in turn affect the Group’s financial conditions or results of operations. There is also the possibility of other losses for which the Group may not obtain insurance at a reasonable cost or at all. Should an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occur, payment of compensation may be required and this may affect the returns on capital invested in that property. The Group would also remain liable for any debt or other financial obligation, such as committed capital expenditures, related to that property. In addition, insurance policies will have to be renewed every year and acceptable terms for coverage will have to be negotiated, thus exposing the Group to the volatility of the insurance markets, including the possibility of rate increases. Any such factors may adversely affect the Group’s businesses, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

The hotel industry has been cyclical and may be affected by various factors which are beyond the Group’s control, including (a) supply of and demand for accommodation properties; (b) the rate of economic growth; (c) interest rates; (d) political environment and economic developments; (e) seasonal factors; and (f) weather conditions. Furthermore, hotel guests are mostly short-term occupants of the hotel rooms and as a result, hotel occupancy rates and room rates are subject to a high degree of fluctuation. Consumer’s confidence, desire, willingness and ability to travel may also be affected by the availability of transportation and travel disruptions caused by extreme weather conditions, natural disasters or epidemics. Any such factors may result in reduced demand for our hospitality services and downward pressure on the daily room rates, and may adversely affect the Group’s business, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.

The pace of post-pandemic recovery of the industry depends on the global economy, tourism recovery, and consumer sentiment. The potential effects on the hotel industry remain unpredictable and may pose significant adverse impact on the Group’s business, financial conditions, results of operations or growth prospects.