AMTD, Xiaomi Finance, SMU and ISS join hands to nurture digital finance leaders

AMTD Group, the largest independent investment bank and a fast growing conglomerate in Asia, together with leading internet company Xiaomi Corporation’s subsidiary - Xiaomi Finance, Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Institute of Systems Science (ISS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a long-term partnership to establish the ‘Singapore Digital Finance Leadership Programme’ (Programme) to hone the management and leadership capabilities of the aspiring digital finance leaders in Singapore and beyond.

The rapid advancement of digital technologies and the advent of the digital economy have brought about transformative impact on businesses, governments and the society as a whole. Faced with new opportunities and emerging challenges, senior executives, entrepreneurs and policymakers have to be equipped with the skills and know-how to adapt to the digital disruption and ride the digital wave. More importantly, a pipeline of digital finance talent needs to be developed to meet the needs of the growing digital sector.

With these objectives in mind, AMTD and Xiaomi Finance are collaborating with SMU and ISS to jointly design the Programme to accelerate Singapore’s leading position in innovation and technology development; to steer and conduct activities on Fintech education and professional training for outstanding entrepreneurs and industry leaders, to demonstrate the shared commitment of AMTD, Xiaomi Finance, SMU and ISS for excellence in education and fulfilment of social responsibility.

During the two-week Programme in each year, SMU and ISS faculty as well as industry experts will examine leadership techniques, sharpen digital finance skillsets of the participants, and provide cutting-edge insights into the Fintech and regulatory frameworks in Singapore. In addition, leading technology and business leaders, regulators, and academics will be invited as guest speakers to facilitate learning sessions. Besides interactive learning experience at SMU and ISS campuses, participants will also embark on learning journeys at two locations in Asia.

AMTD and Xiaomi Finance will contribute SGD 5 million to allow SMU and ISS to build the relevant curriculum and teaching resources, as well as support the cost of managing and organising this Programme.

Mr. Calvin Choi, Chairman and CEO of AMTD Group, and the Founder and Chairman of AMTD Foundation, said, “AMTD is dedicated to promoting Singapore as the leading global Fintech centre in Asia together with Xiaomi Finance, SMU and ISS, connecting with the Greater Bay and the rest of Asia. We are fully committed to contribute our skills and resources to enrich and enhance the Singapore digital finance landscape through deploying our AMTD SpiderNet eco-system which is an ever-extending network in which we, together with our clients, shareholders, business partners, and investee companies, actively explore business collaboration opportunities and create synergy for each other.”

“To support the fast growth in the Southeast Asia digital finance markets, we need to empower young Fintech leaders with leadership skills, ecosystem and cutting-edge technologies know-how. I am confident that this Singapore Digital Finance Leadership Programme will witness the growth of many young leaders and significantly contribute to Southeast Asia's Fintech eco-system,” Mr. Calvin Choi added.

Mr. Hong Feng, Co-founder and Senior Vice President of Xiaomi, Chairman and CEO of Xiaomi Finance, said, “We want to contribute to the financial inclusion in Singapore and make Fintech services easy to use, affordable just like Xiaomi smart devices. Through this Singapore Digital Finance Leadership Programme, we would like to share Xiaomi’s technologies, our know-how and open up our ecosystem to the Fintech leaders in Southeast Asia. We are excited to be part of the Southeast Asia's Fintech community and together we will make Southeast Asia's digital economy one of the best in the world.”

Professor Annie Koh, SMU Vice President of Business Development said, “We are excited to be one of the academic partners to build this unique, multidisciplinary programme for senior executives, entrepreneurs and policy makers in Singapore, ASEAN and the Greater Bay Area. The Singapore Digital Finance Leadership Programme seeks to make sense of both the realities and possibilities in this emerging growth sector and keep the participants up to speed on the developments in the Fintech and financial innovation space. With our track record and faculty experience in delivering leadership programmes, and together with our trusted partner in Institute of Systems Science at NUS, we are confident that this will be an impactful programme that will contribute to building a pipeline of digital finance aware leaders that is much needed in Asia.”

Mr. Khoong Chan Meng, CEO of Institute of Systems Science (ISS) at NUS, said, “We are honoured to be a pioneer and key academic partner in the foresight and advancement of a future where technology is the driving force of change and individuals and companies must be competent to lead digital transformation. Collectively, it is opportune for ISS to partner closely with SMU and industry leaders to advance relevant skill sets for the digital economy through the Singapore Digital Finance Leadership Programme. We are pleased that ISS, with our mission and long standing accomplishment of developing digital talent, can illuminate this path.”

The MOU signing ceremony was held during an event at AMTD House entitled ‘Smart Asia: Connecting Greater Bay Area with ASEAN’ at the 2020 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Signatories of the MOU were Professor Timothy Tong, CEO of AMTD Foundation; Mr Shouzi Chew, Senior Vice President, President of International, and CFO of Xiaomi Corporation; Professor Annie Koh, SMU Vice President of Business Development; and Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President, who signed the MOU on behalf of ISS.

The MOU signing was witnessed by Mr. S Iswaran, Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information; and the Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, and Mr. Calvin Choi, Chairman and CEO of AMTD Group; and Founder and Chairman of AMTD Foundation.

Caption: (L-R) NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye; SMU Vice President of Business Development Professor Annie Koh; Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations Mr S Iswaran; Mr  Calvin Choi, Chairman and CEO of AMTD Group; and Founder and Chairman of AMTD Foundation.