As Hong Kong’s regulatory landscape evolves, enterprises in the region are prioritising secure and compliant business communications to meet stringent regulatory requirements and protect their operations.
With authorities like the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) enforcing strict record-keeping mandates, regulatory compliance becomes more important. Recent enforcement actions and scrutiny from abroad have also prompted Asian regulators to tighten oversight measures.
Meanwhile, the widespread use of messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat for business presents compliance and security risks, compounded by the rising cyber-threats and data breaches. The shift to remote work has further intensified the need for improved business communications security.
The growing influence of messaging apps in Hong Kong businesses
Like many places around the world, messaging apps play an increasingly important role in business operations in Hong Kong, letting staff communicate with customers for inquiry and complaint handling, new product promotions, service consultations, and similar conversations.
The most popular messaging platform in Hong Kong used for business communications is WhatsApp. WeChat is also popular, especially for engaging with clients from mainland China.
Speaking of the use of messaging apps in Hong Kong for business, Vincent Wong, Assistant Product Manager at Hong Kong Telecom, explained that “the major business purpose in Hong Kong is for staff to handle daily inquiries from customers and promote new products and the latest market updates to customers.”
Hong Kong Telecom – LeapXpert collaboration for compliant communications
Hong Kong Telecom (HKT), one of the region’s telecommunications service providers, helps its enterprise customers ensure governance and security in client interactions amid an increasingly stringent regulatory environment. HKT has partnered with LeapXpert to deliver more secure and compliant digital communication solutions. This lets HKT provide its enterprise customers with a governed, compliant and secure framework to communicate with customers on messaging apps.
Wong described HKT’s offering as a “Cloud-based service based on the functionality of the LeapXpert platform.”
The LeapXpert Communications Platform lets enterprise employees engage with clients using popular consumer messaging channels, like WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram, WeChat, Signal, Line, and SMS, from platforms like Microsoft Teams, WeCom and Slack. The platform helps ensure regulatory compliance, enterprise governance and security.
According to Avi Pardo, Chief Business Officer at LeapXpert, the strategic partnership between the two companies positions HKT as “a premier provider of compliance-driven communication services, offering scalable solutions that support unified, secure and compliant cross-app communications tailored for business growth.”
Wong stated that “LeapXpert demonstrates strong capabilities in messaging compliance, enabling corporations to control and monitor conversations between staff and clients to ensure regulatory compliance and adherence to authority guidelines.”
Pardo said the integration of the LeapXpert platform with HKT’s services “creates a unique market differentiator that delivers significant value to enterprise customers, catering to the precise needs of modern, single-identity responsible business communication.”
Wong also said that, in addition to messaging compliance and archiving functionality, “HKT provides professional services, including configuration, user training and after-sales support.”
Strong market feedback
HKT targets banking and financial industries, investment traders, and some professional services industries, such as law firms and healthcare institutions. These especially require communications compliance and monitoring. The company also plans to target larger enterprises that use MS Teams for daily communication.
HKT has signed Bank of East Asia, a Hong Kong-based financial services group, as its first customer for the LeapXpert solution. The LeapXpert Communications Platform, underpinned by HKT’s connectivity infrastructure, allows BEA employees to communicate natively with customers over WhatsApp and WeChat in a manner that is governed, secure and compliant.
Business enablement and compliance
The LeapXpert platform, according to Pardo, lets businesses use messaging apps more securely, and ensure governance and compliance. He said this combination “enhances client engagement by allowing employees to communicate on their preferred platforms, improving efficiency by reducing the need to switch between apps.”
Pardo said advanced security features help protect businesses from risk, and HTK’s network provides reliability and local support. “This positions HKT with a unique compliance service throughout the region,” he said.
