The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Standard Chartered Bank today jointly announced the establishment of a Fintech Academy with the latter offering HKD$ 60 million to support the launch of this initiative.
According to the announcement, the HKU-SCF Fintech academy leverages the combined strength of academics of HKU and industry expertise of Standard Chartered Bank to enhance the way fintech is taught and researched.
The newly launched academy is hosted by the Department of Computer Science of the Faculty of Engineering and strongly supported by the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Business and Economics.
In the next five years, the HKU-SCF FinTech Academy will gear up nearly a thousand fintech professionals to tackle disruptive technologies, creating a tangible and lasting impact on the banking and financial industry, the statement said.
Cultivating future-fit talents and upskill bankers
“The fast pace of change in FinTech has been impacting not just the business model of banks, but also the talents required for realising the Smart Banking ambitions for Hong Kong. Standard Chartered is proud to steer the co-creation of the FinTech Academy between HKU and SCF to cultivate future-fit talents and upskill bankers with disruptive technologies to capture the immense opportunities. We feel very excited about this pioneering partnership with HKU that will transform Hong Kong’s banking industry and the wider financial ecosystem ahead of the FinTech era,” Mary Huen, CEO, Hong Kong at Standard Chartered, noted.
Huen is also a trustee at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong 150th Anniversary Community Foundation.
“With the continuous advancement of technology, the financial industry is evolving dynamically and the next wave of disruption is coming. HKU has first-class FinTech research teams across the Faculties of Engineering, Law, and Business and Economics, working synergistically in various areas including Blockchain , cybersecurity, regulatory technology, AI and big data Analytics . The HKU-SCF FinTech Academy will be a centre of innovation for nurturing talents to shape the FinTech industry across the region and strengthen Hong Kong’s position as a leading financial centre,” said Professor Xiang Zhang, president and vice-chancellor at The University of Hong Kong.
