Hong Kong’s 5 ‘finance bro’ types and how to identify them by their outfits

Hong Kong is full of ‘finance bros’ but while you might think they all go out dressed up in expensive suits and designer shoes, there are actually several types

From the client-facing hedge fund guys with their expensive suits and designer shoes to tech bros in polo shirts and sneakers, here’s how to identify them

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Hong Kong has several different types of “finance bro” - men who work in the banking and finance industries - and each has their own style of outfit. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Ashlyn Chak

Published: 7:15am, 1 Nov 2023Updated: 9:25am, 4 Nov 2023

Corrected [3:06pm, 1 Nov, 2023]

[3:06pm, 1 Nov, 2023]
A previous version of this story quoted the source as saying: "They earn enough money to not care, hence the low-key but expensive look. Probably wearing a HK$2,000 pair of shoes, too.” The correct figure is HK$20,000.

As an international finance hub, Hong Kong has an abundance of “finance bros” – a slang term for men who work in the highly competitive banking and finance industries.

In September, Hong Kong again ranked fourth in the latest Global Financial Centres Index, a study of the world’s leading international financial centres, after New York, London and Singapore, while finance remains the top career choice for university graduates around the globe.

Earlier this year, Hong Kong hosted a major international financial event for central bankers, international financial regulators and global financial leaders.

With their offices traditionally situated in the city’s Central district and neighbouring Admiralty, finance workers can usually be seen congregating at the IFC Rooftop Garden or SoHo on weekday late afternoons, enjoying a pint or two with their affiliates.

For outsiders, it can be a real sight to behold: a sea of young men in suits, who all look similar from a distance, chattering in a language many do not understand that involves stocks, numbers and charts.

While many are kitted out in expensive suits, designer loafers and luxury watches, their counterparts in New York City have given rise to a popular Instagram account, Midtown Uniform, which chronicles the Patagonia vests and uniformly mundane outfits worn by finance bros in Manhattan’s Midtown district.