AMTD News | AMTD’s strategic collaboration with HKUST is sealed to focus on grooming the next generation of digital and innovation leaders to connect the Greater Bay Area with South East Asia

AMTD Group and AMTD Charity Foundation (collectively “AMTD”) have today forged a strategic collaboration with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (“HKUST”) with the objective of grooming and cultivating the next generation of digital and innovation leaders to connect the Greater Bay Area with South East Asia. The MOU signing ceremony was attended by Calvin Choi, Chairman and CEO of AMTD Group, Founder of AMTD Charity Foundation, Prof Wei Shyy, President of HKUST, Prof. Timothy Tong, CEO of AMTD Charity Foundation, former President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum, Dr. George Lam, Chairman of Cyberport of Hong Kong Government, Prof Lionel Ni, Provost of HKUST, Prof. Annie Koh, Vice President, Business Development of Singapore Management University, King Leung, Head of FinTech of Invest Hong Kong of Hong Kong Government, Helene Li, General Manager of FinTech Association of Hong Kong, and Branson Lee, Head of Talent of Singapore FinTech Association.

The two parties plan to explore the setting up of platform or center for various innovations and entrepreneurship related programs or activities including a possible innovation centre to host and cultivate tech researchers, technologists and entrepreneurs, and prepare the students for world-stage innovations and digitalisation. In addition, joint scholarships and fellowships, career placement opportunities and joint research project collaborations will be established.

AMTD will also open up its proprietary SpiderNet Ecosystem for participants under the future joint scheme with HKUST to connect with innovative entrepreneurs in ASEAN and globally, access to capital markets and facilitate cross-sector, cross-border collaborations.

Calvin Choi, AMTD Group’s Chairman and CEO and Founder of AMTD Charity Foundation, commented, “We are very honoured to long term partner with HKUST to groom the next generation of innovation leaders and young entrepreneurs, and contribute to the regionalisation and increasing connectivity from the Greater Bay Area to the ASEAN region.”

Professor Wei Shyy, President of HKUST added, “HKUST is pleased to partner with AMTD, a digital leader in the Greater Bay Area and ASEAN. The strategic collaboration will further strengthen HKUST’s position in promoting knowledge transfer back to the wider society. Our joint efforts will help prepare Hong Kong for digital opportunities and deepen its integration with the Greater Bay Area and the ASEAN region, educational shifts from knowledge-based to competency-centric approach in an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.”

AMTD has been putting in great efforts and resources in promoting education and supporting talent development globally. Collaborated with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, AMTD has established the “AMTD Fintech Centre of PolyU Faculty of Business” and launched the first Doctoral Degree in FinTech in Hong Kong. AMTD joined hands with the University of Waterloo to launch the “University of Waterloo-AMTD Innovation Hub” and “AMTD Waterloo Global Talent Postdoctoral Fellowship”. AMTD has launched the AXSI Digital Finance Leadership Programme (“AXSI Programme”) together with Xiaomi Finance, Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Institute of Systems Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS-ISS). Together with University of Waterloo, iQ4 and the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA), AMTD has established the @-WISE Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence. Partnering with Xiaomi, SP Group and Funding Societies, AMTD led a consortium of 13 partners to establish the Singa Green Tech Centre in Singapore. In addition, AMTD and Singapore FinTech Association (“SFA”) have agreed to jointly establish an AMTD SFA Global FinTech Fellowship Programme in Singapore.

Through its unique “fusion-in” strategy, AMTD has acquired three innovation FinTech companies in 2020, namely, PolicyPal, Singapore’s leading InsurTech company, the first graduate from the MAS’s FinTech Sandbox; FOMO Pay, the one-stop QR code and digital payment solution provider in Southeast Asia; and CapBridge, Singapore’s first regulated securities exchange for digital assets and private companies and Singapore’s leading integrated private market ecosystem platform. Entrepreneurs will be fully integrated into the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem to unlock their enterprises’ potential values and expedite business growth, by leveraging on AMTD eco-system’s supreme connectivity to multi-servicing platforms and products, extensive investors network and institutional strengths, comprehensive capital markets expertise from private to public financing solutions, and its solid linkage to resources across different sectors and industries in the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

Following the signing ceremony, speakers including Prof. Annie Koh, Vice President, Business Development of Singapore Management University, Michelle Li, Co-CEO of AMTD Digital, Prof. Kar Yan Tam, Dean of Business and Management of HKUST, and Dr. Don Huang, Co-Founder and Head of Quantitative Research of AQUMON and a HKUST alumnus, joined together on a panel moderated by Prof. Timothy Tong, CEO of AMTD Charity Foundation, to explore “The Power of Entrepreneurship: 2021 Opportunities in FinTech”.

About AMTD Group

AMTD Group is a leading comprehensive financial services conglomerate, with core businesses in investment banking, asset management, digital financial solutions; and non-financial services areas including education and real estate investment.

AMTD International (NYSE: HKIB; SGX: HKB), a subsidiary of AMTD Group, is a leading independent investment bank in Asia and one of Asia’s largest independent asset management companies, and has been a leading investor in FinTech and new economy sectors. AMTD International was successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019, representing the first Hong Kong headquartered financial institution listed on NYSE. On April 8, 2020, AMTD International completed its successful listing on SGX-ST.

AMTD Digital, the digital solutions arm of AMTD Group, is headquartered in Singapore engaging in digital financial services, digital marketing and data intelligence, digital connectors and ecosystem building, and digital investments. AMTD Digital aims to build a one-stop, comprehensive, cross-market, and innovative digital solutions platform.

About AMTD Charity Foundation

AMTD Charity Foundation is established by Mr. Calvin Choi, Chairman of AMTD Group to fulfill the commitment of Mr. Choi and AMTD Group in giving back to the society and upholding social responsibility. AMTD Charity Foundation has been putting in great efforts in promoting education, relieving poverty, and supporting people in need in Asia and across the world. AMTD actively supports a range of corporate social responsibility activities, such as the sponsorship of Caritas Charity TV Show for 13 consecutive years, and being a key supporter of amfAR (the Foundation for AIDS Research), one of the world’s leading non-profit organisations on AIDS research, etc. AMTD Charity Foundation has also been long term committed to promoting technological development and talent cultivation.

About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research intensive university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2020. Its graduates were ranked 26th worldwide and among the best from universities from Asia in Global University Employability Survey 2020.