2025 is shaping up to be another big year of global expansion for IMC. We spoke to the new Managing Director of our Hong Kong office, Andrew Fong, a 30-year finance industry veteran, about our ambitious plans for growth in Asia's leading financial hub.

Welcome, Andrew! What led you to make the switch to IMC?

I wanted to take on a new challenge without leaving Hong Kong – my hometown, and where I've spent most of my career.

I've rubbed shoulders with many smart IMC people over the years. Through them, I got a sense of the company's culture and way of working: the focus on collaboration, the lack of hierarchy, the commitment to championing the best ideas, no matter where they originate.

Those values really resonated with me. What's more, people here really live and breathe them – which isn't the case at all companies, in my experience.

I was also attracted by the shared sense of ambition. IMC is in a major growth phase, and that translates into clear opportunities here in Hong Kong. I'm excited to be part of this journey.

Your appointment comes as IMC expands its team in Hong Kong and moves into a new office space. Why is the company growing its presence in this market?

It’s a no-brainer for several reasons. Hong Kong is a top 3 global financial services center and the leading business hub in the Asia-Pacific region. It is home to one of the top exchanges in the world, on which IMC can add value, with a surrounding financial ecosystem and regulatory environment that foster growth and provide access to a broad range of opportunities.

Location is another important factor. People think of Hong Kong as the gateway to China. That's very true, and our proximity to Chinese markets is a big plus. But we're really at the epicenter of the entire APAC region: Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Shanghai, and Beijing are all reachable in four and a half hours by plane. Sydney is nine hours away.

However, the biggest attraction is access to talent. The talent pool for quantitative research is particularly deep: Hong Kong has three excellent universities that are leading the way in disruptive technologies like machine learning and AI. We are also equally excited about graduates from the top universities in Mainland China and overseas, who can now easily obtain a work visa through the government’s Top Talent Pass Scheme. Last but not least, Hong Kong is also home to many experienced professionals in the industry.

Our new Hong Kong office will be an important part of IMC’s quant research strategy. By investing in a world-class research environment – for both options and D1 (equities, futures, ETFs) strategies – we can consolidate our position in our traditional markets while accelerating into new products and asset classes.

Research, trading, and engineering are hotly contested recruitment markets. What can IMC offer new joiners that other firms can’t?

It's the same answer I gave for my own motivation for joining: the chance to be part of something new, something growing. The chance to take responsibility rather than being boxed into someone else’s design.

Whether you're an experienced professional or just graduated, there’s nothing you can’t achieve at IMC.

And you'll benefit from IMC's best-in-class trading infrastructure and execution capabilities. World-class talent plus world-class technology: it's a powerful combination. If you're an ambitious research, trading, or technology professional, you can make an impact right from the start. You can really let your ideas fly.

Of course, these opportunities are not only open to local professionals: We hope to attract people from all over the world, including current IMCers who'd like to experience working in a new office or region.

What’s next for IMC Hong Kong?

IMC already trades on major exchanges including the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Futures Exchange. Having recently moved into a new office, the focus is now on growing our team and finding the right people to propel us forward.

Some of us are calling this "Hong Kong version 2.0". It's similar to the model IMC has followed in Mumbai, where the office has grown rapidly over the last few years.

As well as bringing in experienced high performers, we're looking at setting up internship opportunities, including a dedicated track for PhD students to come and work here on a part-time basis. We also expect the Hong Kong office to become part of the IMC Global Traineeship in the long term.

Meanwhile, China is also very much on our radar. We recently received a Qualified Foreign Investor (QFI) license and we will start trading commodity options and futures from our Hong Kong office shortly. This gives us an important foothold from which we hope to expand our presence in the coming years.

This is just the beginning. I'm relatively new to IMC, so I'm as excited as anyone to see what the future holds!

Stay tuned for further updates about IMC’s Hong Kong office, and check out our careers pages for more information about experienced and early-career opportunities.