On the afternoon of 1 April 2021, the Faculty of Finance held the “40th Anniversary of City University of Macau Finance Seminar Series [15]: Hengqin-Macau Cross Border Finance Seminar Series (2)” at the Ho Yin Convention Centre. Professor Shen Songdong from the Business School of Jilin University was invited as a guest speaker at this online seminar to share his views on “Establishment of a Cross-Border Urban Investment Fund Base in Hengqin and Macao–Zhuhai In-Depth Financial Cooperation Model”. The seminar was attended by Dean Cheung Wai Kong and Associate Dean Khong Yueng Wah of the Faculty of Finance. 

 

 

Professor Shen started with Hengqin’s financial integration and shared its financial innovation positioning and new opportunities. Hengqin is expected to establish a financing information and assessment service platform for inland cities, development funds for key industries, infrastructure projects, and leading urban investment enterprises, while building a financial base for urban sectors, so as to meet domestic and overseas investment and financing needs and form a major base for characteristic cross-border investment and financing. New breakthroughs in financial development can thus be realised.  

Professor Shen introduced the status quo, financing needs, and development history of China’s urban investment, the functions and scale of urban investment companies, urban investment business, and financing transformation. He also discussed the development status and types of industrial funds (corporate funds, contractual funds, and limited partnership funds).  

According to Professor Shen, the following factors are considered significant for establishing a cross-border urban investment fund base with global reach in Henqgin: 1. planning and guidance—construction of a financial plaza of a high standard for the urban investment fund base in Hengqin; 2. institutional alignment—design of a cross-border system for investment funds matching those of Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong; 3. talent pooling—drawing a large number of professionals in industrial funds to Hengqin; 4. information and data services—establishment of a centre for financing information on urban investment funds, enterprise and project evaluation, and relevant data services; 5. investment promotion through conventions, exhibitions and forums—attracting financing of companies and projects through regular conventions, exhibitions, industry forums, and other activities; and 6. the leading and demonstration role—matching high-quality urban investment projects of Hengqin, Zhuhai, and other parts of Guangdong with cross-border funds, and guiding the constant injection of funds from Macao and the rest of the world. 

 

 

Students showed great interest in the seminar and actively asked questions about the development and positioning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the cooperation and competition between Hengqin and Macao, and capital flows, which were all answered by Professor Shen in detail. The seminar ended amid warm applause from students. This seminar was the 15th financial seminar held by the Faculty of Finance in celebration of the 40th anniversary of CityU Macau. The Faculty of Finance has been inviting corporate executives, experts and scholars of the financial services industry from Hengqin to provide students with information and development trends concerning Hengqin–Macao cross-border finance, in a bid to enrich students’ expertise in Hengqin–Macao cross-border finance.