Commonwealth Bank of Australia today launched an Innovation Lab in Hong Kong and announced plans to launch an Innovation Lab in London later this year. This innovation network is a natural extension of the Bank’s successful Innovation Lab in Sydney and creates a global approach to innovation that connects customers, employees and start-up communities to the latest FinTech developments.
“Hong Kong’s highly developed financial sector, strong entrepreneurial culture and proximity to China makes it the optimal location for us to establish an innovation presence in Asia. The Hong Kong Lab will allow us to partner with the brightest minds across the city’s accelerator, government, university, start-up and FinTech communities to further develop creative and innovative solutions for our clients,” shared Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, Commonwealth Bank Group Executive, Institutional Banking and Markets.
The Hong Kong Lab’s three main zones encourage collaboration and drive experimentation.
- The incubation garage space helps cross-functional project teams work together on bringing ideas to life.
- The collaboration hub encourages co-creation with clients to find bespoke solutions, deep dive into specific challenges and test prototypes.
- The usability room provides clients with a live testing facility and the latest eye-tracking technology to improve their digital platforms.
“The strong interest in our Sydney Innovation Lab demonstrates the emphasis business and government place on innovation as an integral part to a successful future. In just one year, the Sydney Innovation Lab hosted over 40,000 guests, successfully built a live blockchain and collaborated with major Australian corporates, government organisations and universities to experiment with future technology. This innovation space has strengthened our culture of innovation and we look forward to continuing this success on a global scale,” Bayer Rosmarin said.
Last December, the Australian Government initiated a billion dollar National Innovation and Science Agenda, a sign that the government is “ready to encourage an ideas boom,” according to Paul Tighe, Australian Consul-General to Hong Kong. “We welcome the launch of the Commonwealth Bank Innovation Lab in Hong Kong, which is a demonstration that business and individuals are ready and keen to play their part in facing the challenges of the future.”