Data-flow contract expands GBA digital integration

From 1 November, the “GBA Standard Contract for Cross-Boundary Data Flow” was officially extended to all sectors in the nine mainland GBA cities and Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, the policy simplifies personal-data transfers between companies across jurisdictions under a harmonised framework recognised by Beijing. Analysts call it a “soft connectivity milestone,” aligning data protection and digital-trade rules while reducing compliance friction for tech firms. Industry groups say it lays the legal groundwork for AI, cloud and finance co-operation in the region’s emerging digital economy.