THE BLOG

Invest Hong Kong discovering the fintech and green economy sectors

*_{Visit to Haliotis 2 – (c) All rights reserved – Ghislain Mariette}*

On June 27, 2025, the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis welcomed a delegation from Invest Hong Kong, as part of an economic prospection mission focused on two strategic sectors: fintech and the green economy.

This visit, in which Team Nice Côte d’Azur took part, was part of an approach to present the innovation capacities and economic infrastructures of the Riviera capital.

Alongside Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, the Hong Kong representatives were invited to a series of visits aimed at showcasing the economic assets of the territory beyond its touristic image.

The objective: to demonstrate the attractiveness potential of Nice Côte d’Azur as a European operational base for international, particularly Asian, investors.

Structuring the territory around key projects

Among the milestones of this working day, several major infrastructures were highlighted.

Among the flagship projects presented, the Haliotis 2 construction site played a central role. Less than a month after the laying of its first stone (May 14, 2025), this infrastructure was presented as a lever for ecological transition and a vector of industrial growth for the region.

Led by the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis and the SUEZ group, Haliotis 2 represents an investment of 700 million euros. It is the largest new-generation wastewater treatment plant project in France, designed to treat the wastewater of 26 municipalities (i.e. 680,000 inhabitants), with performance exceeding European sanitary standards.

This project is part of a larger set of structuring developments, such as the extension of the iconic Promenade du Paillon.

Season 2 of the project marks a new step in the ecological transformation of Nice’s city centre. This 8-hectare extension programme aims to convert a mineralized space into an urban forest, with the goal of climate resilience and improved quality of life.

This project is part of an approach to requalify the metropolitan core and reclaim nature in the city, in line with the climate and social ambitions of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis.

Visit to the Promenade du Paillon construction site – All rights reserved – David NOUY

These visits aimed to demonstrate the coherence between the environmental ambitions of the territory and its growing economic attractiveness in the field of the green economy.

An innovation ecosystem as a lever of attractiveness

Beyond infrastructure projects, the delegation was introduced to the emblematic innovation venues of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis. The Innovation Hub of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis and the Allianz Accelerator illustrated the territory’s ability to support the emergence of startups in financial and environmental technologies.

This anchoring in the innovation economy constitutes a strong lever for potential collaboration with Asian ecosystems, particularly dynamic in the targeted sectors.