On 19 March 2019, the IARFC Greater China Conference 2019 on the theme "Mission & Responsibility" that was co-organized by the Faculty of Finance was held at the C-Hall of the City University of Macau. It attracted more than 270 RFC elite members from Macao, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Mainland.

  On behalf of the City University of Macau and Rector Shu Guang Zhang, Pro-Rector Ip Kuai Peng extended warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to all attendees. According to Pro-Rector Ip, the financial industry, as one of the four pillar industries of Macao's economy, is flourishing gradually under the support of policies of the Central Government and Macao SAR Government. Moreover, the "characteristic finance" proposed in recent years has a significant impact on the future development of Macao. In recent years, it has been repeatedly pointed out in the policy addresses of Macao that promoting the appropriate diversification of Macao's economy is an inevitable development trend for Macao in the future; developing characteristic finance is one of the important directions. The Greater Bay Area is rich in financial resources and the level of regulation is second to none in the Asia-Pacific region. This is undoubtedly a rare opportunity for Macao to develop a characteristic financial industry. In the construction of the Greater Bay Area, Macao may follow the development path of "characteristic finance" to realize coordinated development, complementarity and coexistence with international financial centres such as Hong Kong and Shenzhen for common prosperity, jointly promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area. Meanwhile, in line with the national development strategy and relying on the positioning of "Sino-Portuguese Platform", the SAR Government is committed to developing Macao into a "Sino-Portuguese Financial Services Platform" under the premise of actively developing "characteristic finance". This shows that in the future, Macao's demand for talent in the financial industry will increase. In recent years, the City University of Macau is in the stage of comprehensive development. It is committed to improving the "talent cultivation quality of universities", "academic innovation ability", and "society-serving ability". As a city university, it is our "mission" and "responsibility" to cultivate talent for urban development in response to the development needs of Macao and the area. We believe that this grand conference will be a good opportunity to facilitate the development of Macao, cooperate on the development of the Greater Bay Area, and strengthen the role of the Sino-Portuguese Platform. It will definitely support Macao in its further integration into the overall development of the country as well as its own prosperity and development. In the end, Pro-Rector Ip wished the conference a complete success and everyone a pleasant exchange!

  At the opening ceremony, Dr Teresa So, chairwoman of IARFC Hong Kong and Macau, on behalf of the IARFC Hong Kong and Macau Centre, extended the sincerest welcome to every financial elite on the scene, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Macau Institute of Financial Services and the City University of Macau as partner organizations. Chairman Liang Tien Lung of IARFC Greater China expressed his expectations for the RFC members and encouraged them to have exchanges with other members in order to turn themselves into financial consultants with an international perspective.

  According to Samuel W. K. Yung, honorary chairman of IARFC Hong Kong and Macau and deputy director of the Committee for Economic Affairs of the CPPCC National Committee, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is an important national development strategy. With policy support and regional complementarity, the economic scale of the area will be definitely expanded, which will benefit the development of the life insurance and wealth management industries. Next, Tao Gengen, a lecturer of the IARFC and a former professor at Shanghai Jian Qiao University, made a special report entitled "Analysis of the Global Economic Situation and the Coping Strategy of Financial Consultants".

  Lecturer Sanjay R. Tolani from Dubai shared a special report entitled "The Golden Key of FP for Big Policy". Education Director Sia Jhih Yun of Perfect Image shared a special report entitled "Developing the Charm and Image of Professional Consultants".

  Director Chau Chi Man of the Hong Kong Innovative Model and Industry Development Institute brought a special report entitled "Challenges and Opportunities of Intelligent Technology to Financial Consultants". Director Lo Li-Chun of the Hong Kong Asia Pacific Elite Wealth Management Institute shared a special report entitled "How RFC Helps High-Net-Worth Customers with Family Inheritance". Wu Zefu, associate professor and course coordinator of graduate program at the Faculty of Finance of the City University of Macau, shared a special report entitled "Financial Opportunities and Development Opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area".

  In addition to the special reports and interviews, activities such as a literati banquet, an evening cruise in Macao, and a visit to the University of Macau were arranged for the students, providing the students with a platform for mutual learning and exchanges. "Mission & Responsibility" is not only a theme of this IARFC conference, but also a goal and a commitment. It is the core of the transformation of practitioners into financial consultants.