HKUST: HKUST and Ant Group Sign MoU on Fintech Talent Development – India Education | Latest Education News | Global educational news
Hong Kong is actively working with fintech to strengthen its position as an international financial centre. With the aim of promoting fintech talent development through collaboration between academia and industry, the School of Business and Management at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST Business School) and Ant Group have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation covering industry insight sharing, practice and job opportunities, as well as joint efforts on industrial research. Marking the first initiative launched under this partnership, selected master’s students at HKUST Business School have already begun fintech training under the global fintech training program 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion. In light of the overwhelmingly positive response from the students, the program quota for the school has been increased from several dozen as originally planned to over 100.
Students selected to participate in the 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion program can take fintech-related online courses and seminars, and join the 10×1000 community to engage with industry educators and students from around the world. With the mission to train 1,000 new talents and technology leaders every year for the next ten years, 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion is a philanthropic initiative launched jointly by International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and Ant Group’s Alipay in 2018.
CHU Ho Kan, a financial industry practitioner and HKUST MBA student participating in the program, said: “Fintech should serve everyone in society. The 10 x 1000 program’s introduction to fintech inclusion has helped me better understand the value of fintech and its enormous possibilities, while its BASIC framework offers a primer to key fintech elements including blockchain, AI, security, IoT and computing power.The discussion of how technology can be leveraged to achieve scale and solve user pain points is most relevant and useful to my work. The case studies on the implementation of fintech initiatives are also a very practical reference for both professionals and business owners.”
Prof. TAM Kar Yan, Dean of HKUST Business School, said: “Fintech has become a key pillar in the financial industry. Building on our strengths in finance and technology, we are pleased to partner with Ant Group, a leading player in the fintech sector, to to promote fintech talent development in Hong Kong and equip students with practical knowledge and skills in fintech We are encouraged by the students’ overwhelmingly positive response to 10 × 1000 Tech for Inclusion, which underscores their strong desire to upgrade themselves for fintech-related work in the future.”
Jennifer TAN, Ant Group’s executive vice president of strategy development and government affairs for the GBA region, said: “Strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international financial center and turning the city into an international innovation and technology hub is not only the nation’s expectation, but also a key goal of the HKSAR government. We are deeply encouraged by HKUST students’ strong reception of 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion. Building on this strong start, we hope to explore further collaboration opportunities with HKUST, leveraging the strengths of both organizations to contribute to fintech talent development in Hong Kong and the wider Greater Bay Area.”
About the 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion program
Launched jointly by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and Alipay in October 2018, 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion is a philanthropic initiative that aims to prepare industry players to drive future digital economic growth. Its mission is to train 1,000 students every year for the next ten years. A total of 31 national, international and regional organizations and institutions, including the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the UN World Food Programme, are currently global partners in the programme. In 2021, 1,067 students from 66 regions and countries completed the online courses. About 80% of students were from emerging markets across South and Southeast Asia.
About HKUST Business School
HKUST Business School is young, innovative and committed to promoting global business knowledge. The school has established an international reputation for world-class educational programs and research results, and has received many global top rankings. For more information about the school, please visit //bm.hkust.edu.hk.
About Ant Group
Ant Group aims to create the infrastructure and platform to support the digital transformation of the service industry. It strives to enable all consumers and small and micro enterprises to have equal access to financial and other services that are inclusive, green and sustainable.
Ant Group is the owner and operator of Alipay, the leading digital payment platform in China serving hundreds of millions of users, connecting them with merchants and partner financial institutions that provide inclusive financial services and digital everyday services such as food delivery, transportation, entertainment and healthcare.
Ant Group has further introduced Alipay+, which offers global cross-border mobile payments and marketing solutions that enable merchants, especially SMEs, to better serve consumers from around the world by collaborating with global partners.
