The Faculty of Finance of the City University of Macau (CityU Macau) recently held its Advisory board Meeting for the 2025/2026 academic year online. Bringing together industry leaders, regulatory representatives, and distinguished academics, the meeting focused on academic planning, curriculum enhancement, talent development, and industry-academia collaboration, providing valuable strategic guidance for the Faculty’s future development.

Attendees of the meeting included: Mr. WeiWei Feng, Director of Development Planning Department, Bank of China Macau Branch; Ms. Sabrina Jiang, Deputy General Manager of China Construction Bank Macau Branch (represented by Vice President Mr. Changming Shu from the Corporate Banking Division); Ms. Yang Wang, Assistant President of Luso International Banking Ltd.; Mr. Kit Sang Lo, Deputy General Manager of Well Link Bank; Mr. Yi Wang, Director of Gree Group (represented by Mr. Guocai Yue, General Manager of Hengqin Jintou Financial Leasing Co., Ltd.); Ms. Tenny Ruan, Executive Director of Chongwa (Macao) Financial Asset Exchange Co., Ltd (represented by Mr. Helin Leng, General Manager of Hong Kong Operations Department); Dr. Vincent, W. K. Huen, Senior Treasurer of STDM Holdings Ltd.; Mr. Zi Ming Liu, Deputy Director of Machinery Industry Economy Management Academe; Mr. Peng Wu, Deputy General Manager of Guangdong Haomei New Material Co., Ltd.; Mr. Zhiqiang Dong, Deputy Director of Expert Committee of Guangdong Finance Society; Ms. Michelle Chan, Secretary of General of Financial Industry Association, Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone In Hengqin and Mr. Shiqi Tang, Professor of Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School. Also present from the Faculty of Finance at City University of Macau were Dean and Professor Adrian Cheung, Associate Dean and Associate Professor Eva Khong, PhD Program Coordinator Professor Yonghong Zhou, Master Program Coordinator and Associate Professor Ting Yang, and BAE Program Coordinator Associate Professor Deqin Lin.

Dean Adrian Cheung extended a heartfelt welcome to Advisory Board members on behalf of the Faculty, conveying sincere appreciation for their steadfast support and invaluable contributions to its ongoing development. He provided an update on the actions taken in response to recommendations raised during the previous academic year and reviewed the Faculty’s recent achievements and strategic priorities. Highlights included the recruitment of senior academics, students’ outstanding performance in postgraduate studies and career development, ongoing improvements in teaching quality, and achievements in research excellence. Dean Cheung reaffirmed the Faculty’s commitment to advancing both education and research. Associate Dean Eva Khong subsequently presented updates on the Faculty’s industry-academia-research collaborations and academic exchange initiatives. She highlighted plans to continue organizing academic forums, finance lectures, and scholarly salons, as well as corporate visits, summer financial research programmes, and university-enterprise collaborative projects. Looking ahead, the Faculty will further strengthen partnerships with financial institutions across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, deepen engagement with Hengqin’s financial ecosystem, and expand regional and international collaboration platforms to create more opportunities for faculty and student exchanges while enhancing the Faculty’s distinctive strengths in industry-academia integration. The coordinators of the doctoral, master’s, and BAE programmes also presented comprehensive reports on programme performance and future development plans. Professor Yonghong Zhou, Associate Professor Ting Yang, and Associate Professor Deqin Lin shared updates on curriculum delivery, student development, and programme enhancement initiatives across their respective levels of study.

During the discussion session, Advisory board members highly praised the Faculty’s achievements in curriculum development, talent cultivation, research innovation, and internationalisation. Members also offered valuable recommendations aligned with emerging industry trends. They emphasised that the Faculty should further leverage Macau’s role as a commercial and trade service platform connecting China and Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as its strategic position within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In particular, members encouraged the continued development of specialised areas such as Sino-Lusophone finance, green finance, and cross-border investment and financing to strengthen the Faculty’s academic competitiveness.

In response to the rapid advancement of financial technology, members recommended further integrating emerging topics such as artificial intelligence, quantitative finance, the digital economy, and cross-border finance into the curriculum. These initiatives would help enhance students’ professional expertise, innovation capabilities, and global competitiveness. In light of the implementation of Macau’s Investment Funds Law, members also advised strengthening teaching and research in areas including industrial funds, private equity, family offices, and structured finance to better support the development of Macau’s modern financial sector.

Members further suggested deepening industry-education integration and university-enterprise collaboration through initiatives such as a dual-mentor system that combines academic guidance with industry expertise. They also highlighted the advantages of Macau-Hengqin collaboration and proposed promoting a “Study in Macau, Practice in Hengqin” talent development model to provide students with enriched internship and experiential learning opportunities. In addition, members recommended aligning curriculum design more closely with national development strategies and the practical needs of the Greater Bay Area, particularly in emerging fields such as digital finance, cross-border payments, and supply chain finance. Strengthening partnerships with universities, research institutions, and industry organisations at home and abroad was also identified as a key priority for enhancing the Faculty’s academic influence and social impact.

In closing, Dean Cheung expressed his gratitude to all Advisory board members for their insightful recommendations. He noted that the valuable feedback would serve as an important reference for further refining the Faculty’s curriculum, enhancing teaching quality, strengthening students’ practical competencies, and expanding university-enterprise cooperation. Moving forward, the Faculty of Finance will continue to advance its strategic development, elevate the quality of talent cultivation and research services, and nurture high-calibre finance professionals with global perspectives, innovative mindsets, and strong professional capabilities, contributing to the development of Macau’s modern financial industry and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.