Financial Secretary Paul Chan arrived in Madrid, Spain yesterday and began his trip by leading a group of Hong Kong tech startups to visit the country's innovation organisation Spain Startup.

Mr Chan met Spain Startup President Maria Benjumea and representatives from its partner IE University of Spain.

Spain Startup organises the renowned innovation and entrepreneurship event South Summit, which has been running since 2012 and brings together startups, tech talent, investors and entrepreneurs from around the world.

Through a variety of programmes, including startup competitions, networking events, and workshops, the event offers startups opportunities to build global networks, exchange knowledge, and connect with investors. South Summit has now expanded to Brazil.

Spain Startup indicated that it is actively considering organising an Asian version of the summit.

Mr Chan said Hong Kong welcomes the event to be hosted in the city to attract startups and investors from the Mainland, particularly the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as well as the broader Asian region, adding that he will instruct relevant departments to actively follow up.