Press Release

Today marks another step forward for the international engagement and Fintech research projects of HKU Business School, with the formation of an alliance between the HKU Business School and the School of Economics and Management of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS).

HKU Business School strives to advance academic and research excellence by new initiatives and collaborations. Building upon the existing collaboration in respect of the Theme-based Research Scheme Project on “Financial Technology, Stability, and Inclusion”, the HKU Business School and UCAS signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish the HKU-UCAS FinTech Lab, which enables both Schools to realise their complementary strengths and create mutual benefits through co-efforts in research and activities.

Capitalising on the strength of the two schools in financial, machine learning and engineering system research, the collaboration platform is expected to be a powerhouse of trailblazing Fintech research. More collaborative research and grant applications will be supported with more academic exchanges of faculty members. The platform will be a cradle of next generation researchers through joint supervision of PhD students and cultivation of talents. In addition, the collaboration will benefit the broader society with the co-created insights shared through publication of research, and organisation of knowledge exchange events with external stakeholders.

Professor Chen Lin, Associate Dean (Research and Knowledge Exchange) of HKU Business School and the Project Coordinator of the Theme-based Research Scheme Project, said, “Amidst the backdrop of the challenging local, regional and global economy, it is vital for us to build a stronger community sharing different views and expertise. Fintech is a technology for all – it is essential to maintain financial stability among the institutions and economies, as well as fostering financial inclusion at individual level to strengthen the economies’ resilience to future challenges. I look forward to creating synergies with UCAS, which is home for leading data analytics research in Mainland China, and contributing in the long-run to the development of Fintech industry for the benefit of Hong Kong, China and beyond.”

Professor Hongbin Cai, Dean of HKU Business School, mentioned “We are honoured to partner with the School of Economics and Management of UCAS to leverage the strengths of the two Universities as well as the two regions. This partnership represents a new milestone of HKU Business School for academic collaboration in Mainland China and we will continue to establish stronger connection around the globe.”

Professor Shouyang Wang, Dean of UCAS School of Economics and Management, expressed that “UCAS scholars have exemplary research in information management and digital economy, which are intertwined with FinTech in this digital age. One of our strengths is our strong network with the government authorities and the industry. We are frequently engaged by these stakeholders on large scale FinTech initiatives and product developments. Our work has successfully facilitated the policy-makers and company decision-makers to resolve major challenges in the highly sophisticated operational environment. We value the establishment of the HKU-UCAS FinTech Lab, and look forward to having more collaboration with the HKU Business School through this platform. Apart from contributing to the academic community, I hope the platform will open the door for collaboration with international partners, as well as benefiting individual consumers and investors through promulgating our research and greater uptake of the applications.”