On December 11, 2023, Faculty of Finance of City University of Macau held the "Financial Industry Experiential Learning" at Ho Yin Conference Center in Taipa Campus. Mr. Wang Dawen, Vice President and General Manager of the Human Resources Department and Ms. Wang Yingying, Manager of the Human Resources Department, both from the Macau Luso International Banking attended the activity. Also present were Ms. Zhang Li, General Manager of Hengqin Huan Dao East Road Securities Business Department at Guangfa Securities, as well as Dean Adrian Cheung, Associate Dean Eva Khong and Hua Junyi Assistant Professor from Faculty of Finance of CityU.
Dean Adrian Cheung warmly welcomes guests from Macau Luso International Banking and Guangfa Securities and expresses gratitude for providing internship opportunities for the students. Dean Cheung introduces the objectives of "Financial Industry Experiential Learning" which aims to expand students' work skills, cultivate professional abilities and achieve a combination of theory and practice. He emphasizes that Faculty of Finance has always been committed to promoting the industry-academia-research teaching model, exchanging and cooperating with the financial industry and providing students with practical platforms and talents for enterprises. The summer internship is highly favored by students as it allows them to enhance their financial practical training and employment competitiveness through firsthand experience and learning.
In the 2022-2023 academic year, a total of 11 graduate students from our college were fortunate to obtain valuable internship positions provided by Macau Luso International Banking and Guangfa Securities. The summer internship lasted for 4 weeks, with 5 students interning at different branches of Macau Luso International Banking in Guangzhou, Huizhou, Hangzhou and Hengqin. The remaining 6 students interned at the Hengqin Island East Road Securities Business Department of Guangfa Securities. Dean Adrian Cheung encourages students to strive for and cherish internship opportunities and integrate the financial knowledge they have learned at school.
The students then shared their internship experiences using photos and descriptions. First, the students who interned at Macau Luso International banking shared their experiences. Student Wu Zhixuan interned at the Marketing Department of the Huizhou branch of Luso International Banking. He shared that he learned about the bank's corporate banking business processes, credit report writing skills, and received career development advice, marketing techniques and communication skills from colleagues. Through the summer internship opportunity, he gained clarity about his own career development direction.
Liu Qianru interned in the Marketing Department of the Guangzhou Branch of Luso International banking. She shared that the summer internship provided her with more project-based experience, such as reporting on invoicing projects and learning to analyze basic borrower information, financial industry analysis and conducting due diligence on business operations and regional economic analysis, and discussing the economic conditions of the areas where the companies belong from the perspectives of province, city and district. She verified various indicators including regional gross domestic product (GDP), value added by the primary and secondary industries, per capita GDP, general public budget revenue, and government fund revenue.
Xiao Fengyu interned in the Risk and Compliance Department of the Hengqin Branch of Luso International Banking. The bank regularly held compliance and risk training sessions, as well as anti-money laundering awareness activities. She also utilized Python data analysis, built a bank risk control model and compiled risk compliance data. Xiao Fengyu assisted in internal audits, business risk control system construction and evaluation, independently completed credit investigations, anti-money laundering awareness reports and chart production.
Du Jiayin interned in the Marketing Division of the Guangzhou Branch of Luso International Banking. She assisted with account opening for an energy vehicle company and performed daily maintenance tasks for a network technology company, such as updating the company's credit reports and verifying tax payments. She read financial statements and audit reports of investment companies, entered data on the company's operating income, gross profit, net profit and wrote financial analysis reports.
Li Yingxin interned in the Marketing Department of the Hangzhou Branch of Luso International banking. She gained in-depth experience in writing financial analysis reports, updating credit examination/loan/post-loan reports, identifying potential investment and cooperation companies, and also independently handling customer procedures.
Vice President Wang of the Human Resources Department at Macau Luso International banking expressed recognition for the educational model of the university-industry-research collaboration at the Faculty of Finance. Vice President Wang mentioned that Macau Luso International banking signed a "Strategic Cooperation Agreement" with Faculty of Finance when it was established in 2018. In 2021, they further solidified their cooperation by signing a "Talent Cooperation Framework Agreement." These agreements aim to develop joint efforts in cultivating financial talents through academic exchanges, teaching, and research training programs. Macau Luso International banking shares a similar philosophy with City University of Macau in terms of combining professionalism and practical experience, dedicating significant efforts to nurturing industry talents.
Macau Luso International banking actively participates in various organizations and plays important roles in promoting the cultivation of financial industry talents. They collaborate with the Macau Association of Bankers, Macau Institute of Financial Services, Talent Development Committee, Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) and Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center (CPTTM). Macau Luso International banking arranges internships for students in different branches, meticulously develops individual learning programs, and reports the students' performance to the bank's headquarters. Overall, the students have demonstrated outstanding performance, solid professional foundations, high professional qualities and a proactive and enterprising mindset. They embody the motto of Macau City University: "Virtue, Knowledge, Practice." Vice President Wang expressed the intention to further cooperate with CityU in internships, research, training and welcomed students to join Macau Luso International banking for employment after graduation.
On the other hand, there were also six students who interned at the Guangfa Securities Hengqin Huan Dao East Road Securities Business Department. They are Huang Shangqi, Bi Yingxin, Cao Jianwen, Zhang Guixuan, Huang Zhuoran and Zhong Daoye, respectively. On their behalf, Huang Zhuoran shared the internship experiences. The internship can be divided into four main modules, including wealth management, brokerage business, institutional/corporate business, and derivatives market categories. During the internship, they gained practical experience and were able to apply the knowledge they learned at school. In the field of wealth management, they gained a deeper understanding of economic cycle fluctuations, trading strategies and family asset allocation. In the brokerage business, they also had the opportunity to practically learn different trading strategies such as margin trading, repurchase agreement and equity swaps.
Ms. Zhang Li, General Manager of Guangfa Securities, pointed out that they have been cooperating with the Faculty of Finance at CityU for nearly a year and have jointly implemented corporate research projects. The tax policies in Hengqin provide opportunities for the development of the financial industry, and the enterprise-oriented teaching and research model of the Faculty of Finance provides a platform for students to connect with employment. Guangfa Securities pays attention to the recruitment and cultivation of recent graduates and aims to expand its talent pool. They hope to further cooperate with CityU in areas such as cross-border financial innovation, research, and training. General Manager Zhang praised the outstanding performance of the students during their internship and mentioned that Hengqin will have an urgent need for talents in private equity funds, institutional/corporate business and private banking in the future. The students from CityU have strong practical and learning abilities, are full of vitality and not only have a deep understanding of local life but also have cross-border learning and living experience, possessing a broader perspective. They are the specialized talents needed for the development of cross-border finance in Hengqin. She expressed confidence in continuing to work hand in hand with CityU in the future, increasing deeper collaboration in market research, business expansion and research. Finally, General Manager Zhang encouraged young people by stating that they are the future, and the future belongs to those who are well-prepared. For young people who strive for a better future, there will certainly be good employment opportunities.
In the students' sharing, one can feel the positive impact brought by the internship. They had the opportunity to engage with various departments and businesses within the bank, gaining insights into the bank's operational model and management system. During the internship, they not only learned a great deal of professional knowledge but also acquired skills in communicating and serving customers, collaborating and coordinating with teams, and handling unexpected situations and problem-solving. They applied theoretical knowledge to practical work, testing and improving their abilities and proficiency.
Furthermore, they had the chance to collaborate with individuals from different departments and hierarchical levels, learning about their work methods and experiences, thereby enhancing their communication and teamwork skills.
Finally, Associate Dean Eva Khong concluded the "Financial Industry Experiential Learning" expressing gratitude to the Macau Luso International Banking and Guangfa Securities for their support and cooperation with Faculty of Finance. The internship provided students with profound experiences. The students gained a clearer direction and goals for their career planning and were able to unleash their potential through practical experience. Faculty of Finance will continue to deepen its cooperation with Macau Luso International Banking and Guangfa Securities, creating a platform for industry-academia-research, nurturing financial talents for the moderately diversified four major industries in Macau and providing more students with opportunities to explore and develop their abilities.