On 26th March 2026, the Faculty of Finance at City University of Macau held a finance seminar, at Ho Yin Conference Center on Taipa Campus. The seminar featured Mr. Herry Qi, Acting Head & Senior Strategy Analyst, Macau Institute of Finance, Bank of China, was invited as the keynote speaker. The seminar focused on the theme: "Outlook for the Financial Sector in Macao under Moderate Economic Diversification". Distinguished guest included Associate Dean Eva Khong of the Faculty of Finance.

During the seminar, Mr. Qi first pointed out that Macau, leveraging its strategic positioning as a “one Center, one Platform, and one Base” and the critical “convergence” advantage of the Hengqin-Macao region in China’s dual-circulation strategy, serves as a golden hub for enterprises seeking access to Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking markets. Mr. Qi analyzed Macau’s distinctive advantages from eight dimensions: strong fiscal strength, significant potential in the education industry, a rich historical legacy of diverse cultures, a vibrant economy driven by high foot traffic, support for the “1+4” moderately diversified economic development, an ideal investment and business environment, the integrated development level of Hengqin-Macao, and the platform for commercial and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Macau fully leverages its strategic positioning, utilizing its unique platform strengths closely tied to Portuguese-speaking countries, along with the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macau) and the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Cooperation Fund, to empower “going global” and “bringing in” initiatives from multiple dimensions. Mr. Qi also introduced the Hengqin-China Portuguese- and Spanish-Speaking Countries Economic and Trade Service Center, noting that Macau is continuously deepening economic, trade, and financial cooperation between China and Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries, playing the role of a “precise liaison” between China and Portuguese-speaking nations. The financial industry is one of Macau’s key sectors, with its financial ecosystem becoming increasingly diversified, financial institutions enriching, wealth management products expanding, and the investor base growing.

Mr. Qi also explored the financial industry’s deep involvement in empowering “tourism + finance” development. From a business perspective, credit supports the real economy, comprehensively empowering industrial chain development. From a customer perspective, creating a convenient tourism consumption environment. Cross-border wealth management expands the value connotation of “tourism + finance”. From the government’s perspective, leveraging corporate expertise actively supports the SAR government’s investment promotion efforts. Mr. Qi noted that in the future, the connotation of “tourism + finance” will no longer be limited to basic financial services such as payments, credit, and insurance. Instead, it will build a deeply integrated financial ecosystem covering all scenarios before, during, and after travel, achieving efficient alignment of capital flow, information flow, and service flow. During the seminar, Mr. Qi elaborated on the development trend of AI-enabled digital finance, emphasizing that the intelligent transformation of Macau’s financial industry requires balancing technological innovation with risk governance, forging a distinctive development path that balances innovation with security and efficiency with responsibility. Mr. Qi’s outlook and policy recommendations for future development included: (1) at the institutional level, establishing a regulatory ecosystem characterized by “inclusive prudence and agile responsiveness”; (2) at the industry level, promoting the construction of shared and collaboratively evolving infrastructure; (3) at the institutional level, deepening innovative practices in business integration and ecosystem expansion. Finally, Mr. Qi indicated that the key focus areas for Macau’s modern finance are the bond market, green finance, cross-border finance, building a financial service platform for China and Portuguese-speaking countries, digital finance, and wealth finance. He also noted that as Macau focuses on moderately diversified economic development and advances modern finance, it must ensure adequate talent support and industry talent development plans, highlighting the emphasis on professionalism and internationalization in Macau’s modern finance.

During the interactive session, Mr. Qi remarked that the students’ questions were thoughtful and insightful, demonstrating their serious consideration of industry development. He provided detailed explanations of cutting-edge industry trends, practical operational experiences, and corporate talent cultivation models. The seminar was rich in content, offering students a comprehensive understanding of the relevant fields. The students expressed that they greatly benefited from the session. The faculty and students of the Faculty of Finance once again thanked Mr. Qi for his wonderful presentation, noting that the seminar provided them with a deeper understanding of industry development and career prospects.