Credit Suisse Joins Firms Scrapping Events on Virus Outbreak

(Bloomberg) --

Credit Suisse Group AG scrapped its annual Asia investment conference planned for next month, adding to a string of cancellations or delays for similar events in Hong Kong and China as the spread of the deadly coronavirus shows no sign of abating.

The Zurich-based private bank, which planned to hold the conference on March 25-27 at Hong Kong’s Conrad Hotel, informed investors Tuesday it’s canceling the event.

“In view of the continued health and safety risks caused by the coronavirus, we have taken the decision to cancel this year’s Asian Investment Conference,” a spokeswoman said in an email.

The decision marks the biggest cancellation in Hong Kong’s financial industry after the outbreak of the virus. The city reported its first confirmed death Tuesday from the virus, the second fatality outside mainland China, where the number of cases has topped 24,000. Neighboring Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub, has asked its casinos to shut down for half a month.

Read more: China’s Push to Contain Virus Puts Late March Events on Hold

Separately, the annual Fund Managers’, Asian Bankers’ and Brokers’ Awards set for later this month has been postponed to March, said Sean Alexander, a representative for the organizer. The decision came after some attendees chose to remain overseas with Hong Kong schools remaining shut until March 3.

Meanwhile, several other conferences slated to happen in China and Hong Kong in February and March have been either postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The two-day AVCJ China Forum, which hosts more than 430 fund managers and was scheduled in Beijing for mid-March, has been postponed until September, according to a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman. Fitch Ratings’ Credit Outlook 2020 Conference in Hong Kong, planned for Feb. 11, was scrapped. The credit ratings company will host live webinars instead, it said in an email to potential attendees.

The virus also prompted trade journal HFM to postpone a planned conference for hedge fund chief operating officers in Macau, according to another email sent to potential attendees. The HFM Asia Operational Leaders’ Summit 2020 was to take place on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 and will be rescheduled to later this year.

--With assistance from Silla Brush.

To contact the reporters on this story: Cathy Chan in Hong Kong at kchan14@bloomberg.net;Bei Hu in Hong Kong at bhu5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Candice Zachariahs at czachariahs2@bloomberg.net, Jonas Bergman, David Scanlan

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.