The Global Business Forum and Dinner 2025 held on 4 March 2025, a student-led event of the Global Business Programmes, also marked as the opening of the 2024/25 INDEX Symposium. This flagship event continues to bridge academia and industry by uniting industry leaders, educators, students and alumni to foster collaboration, cultivate networks, and exchange insights on emerging global business trends.

Centered on the theme “Transformative Fintech Innovations: Shaping the Future of Finance”, this year’s forum focused on exploring the latest Fintech developments and examined the opportunities and challenges reshaping the financial services landscape.

The forum began with enlightening welcome remarks by Prof. Lin ZHOU, Dean of CUHK Business School, and Dr. Fred KU, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) of CUHK Business School, setting the stage for an engaging and thought-provoking 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 motivated participants to explore 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, and Director and Program Head of 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion, shed light on the topic “Fintech for Financial Inclusion”. Ms. TAN shared compelling stories of how Ant Group leverages innovation to provide accessible financial services to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). She also highlighted initiatives promoting environmental sustainability and digital equality.

Dr. Florian SPIEGL, Founder and CEO of EVIDENT, addressed the topic “Unlocking Opportunities in Alternative Assets”. He discussed the inefficiencies of alternative investments that have hindered participation and shared how his company is revolutionizing the sector through tokenization and automated processes, providing a more accessible platform for alternative investments.

Panel Discussion: Reimagining Financial Services in a Decentralized Future

The forum continued with a dynamic panel discussion featuring speakers, Mr. Adrian LAI, Founder of Newman Group, Mr. Jimmy ZHU, Vice President of Sales of HashKey Exchange, Dr. Stratos POURZITAKIS, Head of Digital Policy APAC, Group Public Affairs of HSBC, moderated by Ms. Queenie SO (IBCE 2018) and Ms. Shirley LAU (GBS, Year 4). Representing diverse stakeholders in the finance industry, the panelists offered unique perspectives on decentralized technologies. Their lively discussion sparked engaging dialogue with the audience, allowing students to rethink the future of finance and envision their roles in the rapidly evolving landscape.

Global Business Dinner and Welcome Dinner for INDEX Symposium

The event concluded with a dinner where distinguished guests, faculty members, alumni and students gathered to celebrate the success of the forum and the kickoff of the INDEX Symposium. In the welcoming remarks, 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. Prof. Timothy CLARK, Provost of Singapore Management University continued by encouraging educators participating in the INDEX Symposium to forge new connections and drive meaningful impact in the education industry.

Mr. Ken LIU (GBS 2011), our advisory board member of Global Business Studies, and International Business and Chinese Enterprise programmes, who has been a driving force in shaping growth opportunities for our community, offered his visionary perspectives on innovation that resonated with attendees. Our students captivated the audience with their vibrant musical performances and multifaceted talents. Attendees departed enriched by an evening filled with lively dialogues, shared laughter, and lasting connections.

Here are some of the wonderful moments we shared at the event: