Global Business Forum 2025 unveils Fintech innovations and insights

Professor Zhou Lin, dean of CUHK Business School, and Dr Fred Ku, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies), welcomed participants with inspiring remarks that set the tone for the day.

Keynote address: driving Fintech development in Hong Kong

Mr Wilson Pang, Fintech Director of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), demonstrated Fintech’s transformative impact in driving Hong Kong’s economic growth. Mr Pang also shared the HKMA’s role as a facilitator of Fintech innovations, the “Fintech 2025” Strategy, and the HKMA’s various flagship Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) projects, namely Project mBridge, Project e-HKD+ and Project Ensemble. His address has highlighted the vast potential of Fintech innovations.

Speaker series: insights from Fintech leaders

Ms Jennifer Tan, Executive Vice President of Strategy Development and Government Affairs for the Greater Bay Area of Ant Group, shared how technology provides accessible financial services to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) while promoting sustainability and digital equality. Dr Florian Spiegl, Founder and CEO of EVIDENT, showcased how tokenisation and automation can enhance accessibility of alternative investments.

Panel discussion: reimagining financial services in a decentralised future

The forum culminated in a dynamic panel discussion, featuring esteemed speakers, including Mr Adrian Lai, Founder of Newman Group, Mr Jimmy Zhu, Vice President of Sales of HashKey Exchange, and Dr Stratos Pourzitakis, Head of Digital Policy APAC, Group Public Affairs of HSBC. The panellists offered diverse perspectives on decentralised technologies, sparking thought-provoking dialogue that encouraged students to rethink their roles in the rapidly evolving financial landscape.

Global Business Dinner and Welcome Dinner for INDEX Symposium

The event concluded with a celebratory dinner attended by distinguished guests, including Professor Timothy Clark, Provost of Singapore Management University, and Mr Ken Liu (GBS 2011), our advisory board member of Global Business Studies, and International Business and Chinese Enterprise programmes, along with faculty members, alumni, and students. This dinner also marked the kick-off of the Industry Project-based Experiential Learning (INDEX) Symposium, a platform initiated by Singapore Management University (SMU) that encourages educators to challenge conventional learning models, exchange best practices, and forge new collaborations.

The evening was enriched by vibrant musical performances from students, leaving everyone inspired and connected.

Dr Fred Ku, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) of CUHK Business School highlighted the importance of global collaboration, innovation and experiential learning in shaping future leaders.

Professor Timothy Clark, Provost of Singapore Management University, encouraged educators to participate in the INDEX Symposium to forge new connections and drive meaningful impact in the education industry.

Mr Ken Liu (GBS 2011), the advisory board member of Global Business Studies, and International Business and Chinese Enterprise programmes, offered his visionary perspectives on innovation.