The SFC published its first-ever Large Firm AI Readiness Survey on 2 Nov 2026, revealing that 30% of surveyed firms already use agentic AI and 95% expect accelerated adoption within 12 months. The survey covered 20 large financial firms with 78 affiliated licensed corporations in Hong Kong, highlighting broad AI integration across business functions alongside challenges to responsible scaling.
This article was generated using SAMS, an AI technology by Timothy Loh LLP.
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Survey Overview and Scope
On November 02, 2026, the Securities and Futures Commission (""SFC"") published the results of its inaugural Large Firm AI Readiness Survey. The survey was conducted during July to August 2026 and encompassed twenty (20) large financial firms comprising seventy-eight (78) affiliated licensed corporations operating in Hong Kong. The findings indicated that artificial intelligence deployment had been expanding across both business operations and control functions, with increasing integration into internal systems and, in certain applications, a notable degree of operational autonomy.
Emergence and Adoption of Agentic AI
A significant finding pertained to the adoption of Agentic AI — defined as artificial intelligence capable of autonomously determining and executing sequential steps toward achieving an objective, including accessing information or tools and, where duly authorised, taking actions with limited human direction. The survey identified principal use cases spanning information retrieval, document drafting, software development, operational workflows, and certain trading-related activities. Specifically, thirty percent (30%) of the surveyed firms had already deployed agentic AI within their business operations, while an additional twenty-five percent (25%) were in the process of piloting such systems at varying levels of autonomy and human involvement.
Broadening Integration Across Business Functions
The survey reflected sustained momentum in sector-wide AI adoption. Ninety-five percent (95%) of respondents anticipated that their utilisation of artificial intelligence would accelerate over the ensuing twelve-month period. At the time of the survey, AI applications had already permeated front-office, middle-office, and back-office activities alike. Furthermore, ninety percent (90%) of firms reported having connected AI tools to their internal systems, evidencing a maturing level of technological integration.
Application in Cyber Defence
Firms had also been leveraging artificial intelligence for cyber defence purposes. Ninety percent (90%) of respondents indicated that they were either using or evaluating frontier AI models for this function and reported tangible benefits including faster analytical processing and broader detection coverage across their security infrastructure.
Implementation Barriers and Governance Considerations
Despite the evident momentum, several practical barriers to wider adoption had been identified. These included challenges related to technology integration, the transition from pilot deployments to production environments, cost considerations coupled with uncertainty regarding business value, data constraints, and a shortage of requisite technical skills. In addition, firms faced ongoing difficulties in extending governance frameworks and internal controls across an expanding portfolio of AI applications, as well as maintaining clear lines of accountability and adequate human oversight over increasingly autonomous systems.
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