Hong Kong – Important Milestone for Expansion in Asia

Global Exchange opens ten branches at the Hong Kong International Airport, eyeing further growth in the region.

First opened in 1996 at Fuentes de Oñoro of Salamanca in Spain, Global Exchange was a local foreign exchange shop at the Spanish-Portuguese border. Reckoning that 90 percent of its customers would be lost after Euro was introduced in 1999, the company decided to expand its business to overseas. From there onwards it has now become one of the world’s leading retail foreign currency exchange companies, running over 260 branches at 55 international airports across 21 countries.

The company has recently been awarded with foreign exchange concession at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). Eight out of ten branches are already in operation, and the rest will be launched by late 2018.

Global Exchange has chosen Hong Kong to open its first office in Asia for a few reasons. “We are really proud of securing our presence at the Hong Kong International Airport, as it is recognised as one of the best airports in the world, not only because it has the third largest number of passengers in the world, but more importantly, it has the highest quality of service and facilities up to global standard,” said Isidoro J. Alanis, President and CEO of Global Exchange Group.

“Hong Kong is a fantastic place for doing business. People here are very determined to be successful. It is a competitive place, and has a good legal and economic system, as well as a deep talent pool,” Alanis continued, adding that most of the employees hired in Hong Kong are locals, and he is impressed with their enthusiasm and work quality.

To stand out in the market, Global Exchange’s booths in the airport are equipped with touchscreen, multi-lingual display that serves customers coming from around the world. Other value-added, customer care services include an e-pocket destination guidebook exclusively for their customers. “With our high-quality staff, reliable in-house software and constant adoption of new technologies, we strive for offering quick, efficient and professional services to stay ahead of the game,” Alanis said.

“Our long term goal is to be the best company in retail foreign exchange industry at the airport in terms of the quality of service that we offer,” he added.

After the opening of all branches in Hong Kong by end of 2018, Global Exchange’s next mission is to further expand in the region. In five years, said Alanis, the company is going to widen its customer base and set foot in other Asia’s international airports. He remarked, “we are always in search of new opportunities and are ready to go anywhere worldwide. Asia has a very fast-growing number of international airports, and this is the area where we would like to propel our business.”

“Eventually, we plan to have our Asia headquarters based here in Hong Kong. This is one of the best places to do business,” he concluded.