HKU Business School

10/09/2026

With more multinational corporations entering China and more Chinese enterprises expanding westward, Hong Kong remains the preferred gateway for cross-border investments. This case from the Asia Case Research Centre (ACRC) challenges students to design a business expansion plan that balances tax efficiency with operational reality.

The case does not only involve international tax planning strategies to minimize global tax liabilities, but also integrate the knowledge that students attained from various business courses, like management, marketing and business strategy, when making suggestions to facilitate business operations and management decisions.

Learn more about this case at: https://www.acrc.hku.hk/Case/Detail/2243

To explore other great cases from our ACRC, visit: https://www.acrc.hku.hk/

10/09/2026

Explore the depths of innovation 🌊 HKU Innovation Week is BACK!

This year, our flagship celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship returns as a vibrant, living ecosystem - The Innovation Reef: Where Ideas Breed and Thrive. Just as coral reefs sustain thriving marine ecosystems, HKU brings together over 800 visionary researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders from around the world to transform breakthrough discoveries into real-world impact.

Join us to exchange valuable insights, explore collaboration opportunities and discover the latest trends in research and innovations! 🚀

📅 Date: 14 October 2026 (Wed)
📍 Venue: Grand Hall, Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, HKU
🏛️ Main Event: 09:30 - 11:30
🔬 Exhibition: 09:00 - 18:00
✨ Esteemed Guests:
- Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor, The University of Hong Kong
- Professor Anderson H.C. Shum, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), HKU
- The Hon Leung Chun-ying, Vice-Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
- Professor D**g Sun, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, HKSAR Government
- Dr. Sunny Chai Ngai-chiu, Chairman of Board of Directors of San Tin Technopole Company Limited
- Ambassador George Hara, Group Chairman & CEO of DEFTA Partners

🎉 Event Highlights:
🟢 100+ innovative project exhibitions
🟢 High-impact networking opportunities with industry leaders
🟢 Insightful fireside chat: From Lab Bench to Commercialisation
🟢 Successful founders spotlight

Be part of the premier innovation ecosystem. Secure your spot today!
👉 Sign up now: https://tec.hku.hk/innovation-week-2026 or scan the QR code!

#港大創新節 #香港大學

09/09/2026

🎉 A new chapter for wealth management education in Hong Kong.

HKU Business School officially inaugurated its Wealth Management Academy on 8 September at HKU iCube, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, faculty, alumni and students to mark the occasion.

The Academy builds on a decade of leadership in wealth management education at the School. Its three programmes — the Bachelor of Finance in Asset Management and Private Banking, the Master of Family Wealth Management, and the Master of Wealth Management — have together produced over 500 graduates now working across the wealth management, asset management and family office sectors. Its establishment was made possible by a founding gift from Bank of China (Hong Kong). The Academy is led by Prof. Anna Wong, Professor of Practice in Finance, as Director, with Prof. Yang Liu, Associate Professor, as Co-Director, and will advance its mission through three pillars: talent development, thought leadership, and stakeholder engagement.

Professor Hongbin Cai, Dean of HKU Business School and Chair of Economics, delivered the welcome remarks, followed by a keynote address from The Hon Mr Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury. The ceremony closed with a panel discussion on the theme “After Being No. 1: What's Next for Hong Kong as a Global Wealth Management Hub”.

Panel speakers:
🔹 Mr Joseph HL Chan 陳浩濂, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
🔹 Ms Aveline San, Chief Executive Officer and Banking Head, Citi Hong Kong, Chair of Citibank (China) Co., Ltd and the Convenor of Financial Services Development Council Human Capital Committee
🔹 Mr Lok Yim, Regional Head of HSBC Private Bank, Asia Pacific
🔹 Moderator: Prof. Anna Wong, Director of HKU Business School Wealth Management Academy

Our sincere thanks to every guest and participant who joined us for this milestone, and to our Executive Team — Prof. Bonnie Leung, Professor of Practice and MFWM Programme Director, and Prof. Ivan Wong, Professor of Practice and BFin (AMPB) Deputy Programme Director — together with our industry advisors.

Learn more about the Academy: https://wma.hkubs.hku.hk/

Event Details: https://www.hkubs.hku.hk/media/press-release/hku-business-school-launches-the-first-wealth-management-academy-nurturing-future-leaders-and-strengthening-hong-kongs-global-leadership/

財經事務及庫務局 Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau

09/09/2026

How AI Makes the Strong Even Stronger 💪🏻

People hope that AI will democratise capabilities across all levels. In fact, it does the opposite — narrowing gaps in average performance while pushing the ceiling for top performers even higher, Prof. Jin Li from HKU Business School identifies four forces driving this divergence:

The Great Compression — If 80 marks competent, AI makes it easier than ever to get there. But by raising everyone's starting point, it makes the climb from 80 to 99 considerably harder.

The Great Unbundling — AI breaks jobs into discrete tasks so people can focus on what they do best. More profoundly, it decouples know-how from the knower — recordings can broadcast a lecture, but replicating how an expert tackles novel situations is far harder. AI avatars can.

The Great Bundling — AI plugs the skills we lack, letting us delegate what we're ill-suited to do.

The Great Scaling — The best lecturer can only teach so many students; an AI avatar can teach millions, adapting explanations to each individual.

The combined effect? The strong get stronger. The real challenge isn't lowering a unbounded ceiling — it's helping more people find their peak, giving them tools to amplify it, and sharing the value.

For details, see Prof. Jin Li’s column in FT Chinese : https://www.hkubs.hku.hk/research/thought-leadership/ft-chinese-column/as-the-floor-lifts-and-the-ceiling-fades-four-engines-and-the-great-divergence-in-the-ai-era/



AI何以讓強者更強？💪🏻

人們寄望AI的發展能夠普惠各層級的能力。事實上，AI一方面正在拉近普通能力之間的差距，另一方面正在提高卓越能力的上限。港大經管學院的李晉教授在《金融時報中文網》專欄中指出，四種驅動力正在加速這一分化：

大壓縮：若80分是可靠的勝任水平，AI正讓達標變得越來越容易。但同時，它亦抬高了所有人的起點，使從80分達到99分變得更難。

大分拆：AI可以分拆崗位任務，令人們可以集中在自己擅長的部分。更深層的分拆在於，訣竅可與擁有者分離。例如，錄影能傳播課程，卻難複製專家應對新情境的能力，AI分身恰可補足這點。

大捆綁：AI能夠重組個人欠缺的技能組合，協助我們彌補能力缺口，從而擺脫不擅長的工作。

大規模化：最優秀的教授也只能應對有限數量的學生，但AI分身既可以直面數百萬學生，又能針對每個人調整解釋方式，大規模化使專家擺脫了個人產能的約束。

四種力量的共同結果，是強者可能變得更強。所以真正的任務，不是重新壓低正在消失的天花板，而是讓更多人有機會找到自己的高點、擁有放大它的工具，並分享由此創造的價值。

詳情請見香港大學人工智能、管理與組織中心總監李晉教授在《金融時報中文網》上發表的專欄文章：https://www.hkubs.hku.hk/tc/research/thought-leadership/ft-chinese-column/as-the-floor-lifts-and-the-ceiling-fades-four-engines-and-the-great-divergence-in-the-ai-era/

#港大經管學院 #人工智能 #人才發展 FTChinese.com - FT中文网

04/09/2026

Fast-fashion retailer Shein debuted on the Hong Kong stock exchange on September 1,2026.

Prof. Rujing Meng from HKU Business School noted in an interview with CNA that while global and Hong Kong investors are driving sky-high valuations for hard-tech sectors like AI, semiconductors and robotics, consumer tech and e commerce platforms such as Shein are no longer market favourites. Prof. Meng also noted that Shein did not pursue its IPO at the peak evaluation and missed its optimal market window.

For details, please see video at CNA: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/watch/sheins-shares-end-flat-in-hong-kong-market-debut-6355121

03/09/2026

Does AI stop children from learning? New data show the peril and promise of the technology.

Prof. Yanhui Wu, Professor of Economics and of Management and Strategy at HKU Business School, and his co-authors tracked 26,811 secondary school pupils over 30 months. AI lifted homework scores by 18%, yet cut exam scores by 20%.

Featured in The Economist:
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/08/18/does-ai-stop-children-from-learning



AI會阻礙兒童學習嗎？ 最新研究揭示AI介入兒童學習所帶來的風險與機遇。

港大經管學院經濟學及管理與策略教授吳延暉與研究團隊追蹤26,811名中學生達30個月，發現AI令功課成績上升18%，考試成績卻下跌20%。

《經濟學人》報道詳情：
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/08/18/does-ai-stop-children-from-learning

#港大經管學院 #人工智能 #教育研究

New data show the peril and promise of the technology

02/09/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 ✨

Three of the region's most influential voices will join the Edward K Y Chen Distinguished Lecture 2026 to unpack what shifting geopolitics mean for Asian economies, its supply chains, and Hong Kong's position within them.

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿
Dr. Victor K. Fung, Chairman of Fung Investments

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀
The Honourable Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairman & President of Asia Financial Holdings Ltd.
Mr. Daniel R. Fung, Chairman of ASEAN Chamber of Commerce

Following the keynote by 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Indonesia for International Trade and Multilateral Cooperation and Vice Chair of the National Economic Council, the panel will turn the discussion towards practice: how regional players are repositioning within value chains across Southeast Asia and beyond, and what economic integration can still deliver in a volatile environment. An open Q&A follows. 🌍

📅 Date: October 7, 2026 (Wednesday)
🕔 Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
📍 Location: Loke Yew Hall, Main Building, The University of Hong Kong
📄 Programme: https://www.hkubs.hku.hk/event/edward-k-y-chen-distinguished-lecture-2026/

🎫 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄: https://edwardkychen2026.ievent.hk

01/09/2026

Who Pays When a Business Suddenly Shuts Down?

Hong Kong government 's two-month public consultation on regulating prepaid consumption has concluded. The government has proposed introducing a statutory 7-day cooling-off period for pre-paid contracts in fitness and beauty sectors.

Dr. Vera Yuen, Lecturer in Economics at HKU Business School, told Ming Pao that regulating prepaid consumption is necessary. She urged the government to conduct regular reviews to ensure that regulations keep pace with evolving business models and technological developments. She also suggested expanding the scope of regulation to cover services such as education courses, wedding services, long-term healthcare services, selected travel packages etc.

Dr. Yuen also pointed to the Consumers Association of Singapore, which operates a third-party escrow and prepayment insurance scheme under which funds are released only once services have been delivered. She noted that Hong Kong could explore a similar approach, though the costs of implementation would need to be weighed.

Read the full coverage in Ming Pao (Chinese only):
Article 1: https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%E8%A6%81%E8%81%9E/article/20260830/s00001/1788026847338/
Article 2: https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%E8%A6%81%E8%81%9E/article/20260830/s00001/1788026848214/



商戶突然結業，風險由誰承擔？

政府就規管預繳式消費展開的兩個月公眾諮詢，已於八月三十一日結束。當局建議規管美容及健身兩個行業的預繳式消費，包括設立七個曆日的法定冷靜期及十四個曆日的退款期，並將合約期上限訂為兩年。

港大經管學院經濟學講師阮穎嫻接受《明報》訪問時指出，規管預繳式消費有其必要，並建議政府持續檢討，確保法例跟上商業模式和科技發展。至於規管範圍，她認為可擴大至涉款較高、年期較長的服務，例如教育課程、婚禮服務、長期保健服務及部分旅遊套票。

阮博士又提到，新加坡消費者協會設有第三方託管及預繳保險機制，款項須待服務履行後才發放。她認為本港值得研究，惟須考慮成本。

明報報道（一）：https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%E8%A6%81%E8%81%9E/article/20260830/s00001/1788026847338/
明報報道（二）：https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%E8%A6%81%E8%81%9E/article/20260830/s00001/1788026848214/

#港大經管學院 #預繳式消費 #消費者保障 #香港經濟

01/09/2026

When Trust Replaces Analytics as the Defining Bottleneck in the AI Era

On 2 Aug 2026, the core provisions of the EU AI Act officially took effect: Enterprises are required to label AI-generated content and the use of chatbots must be disclosed to users. Non-compliance can result in fines up to €15 million. AI trust has shifted from corporate ethical choices to mandatory compliance requirements. In the AI era, the most valuable assets are regulatory approval, customer trust, and proven governance processes.

In the latest research of Prof. Haipeng Shen at HKU Business School, he introduced the DELTA+T² framework, extending the traditional analytics capability model by incorporating Trust as a critical organizational capability. He argues that as AI technologies become rapidly commoditized, the real bottleneck for organizations is shifting from whether they can generate results to whether they are willing to trust and act on those results. He also contends in an FT Chinese article that AI trust can be systematically built across five dimensions:

🔹 Governance – Are ownership and accountability clearly defined?
🔹 Explainability – Can model decisions be explained to regulators and other stakeholders?
🔹 Auditability – Are data, model changes, and AI system access traceable?
🔹 Compliance posture – Is compliance treated as an ongoing baseline, rather than a one-off hurdle?
🔹 AI Sovereignty – Who controls data, infrastructure, and jurisdiction?

When technologies and algorithms are no longer a competitive moat, the winners will be those who convince the public that their systems are not only smart, but also reliable, controllable and trustworthy.

Read the article at FT Chinese (Chinese only): https://www.ftchinese.com/story/001110571



當信任取代分析能力，成為AI時代的真正瓶頸

2026年8月2日，歐盟《人工智能法》核心條款正式生效：企業必須標註AI生成內容、在使用聊天機器人時須告知用戶，違規者最高罰款1500萬歐元。AI信任，已經從企業內部的道德自律，變成外部強制的合規要求。在AI時代，真正具價值的是監管牌照、客戶信任及經過檢測的治理流程。

港大經管學院的沈海鵬教授在最新研究中進一步提出DELTA+T²框架，他將Trust（信任）納入企業分析能力體系，指出當AI技術快速商品化後，企業真正的瓶頸正從「能不能算出結果」轉向「敢不敢相信並使用這個結果」。他更在《金融時報中文網》的專欄中表示，AI信任是可以、也應該被系統性建設的能力，它可以拆解為五個彼此獨立的維度：

🔹 治理：決策的所有權和問責是否清晰？
🔹 可解釋性：能否向監管者等持份者說明模型為何得出某個結論？
🔹 可審計性：數據、變更、與誰接觸皆可追溯？
🔹 監管合規姿態：是否把合規當作持續維護的底線，而非一次性通關的障礙？
🔹 主權AI：誰控制數據存放的位置及運營基礎設施？受哪個司法管轄區的法律約束？

當技術及演算法不再構成壁壘時，真正把贏家和輸家分開的，會是誰能讓大家相信：這套系統不僅聰明，而且可靠、可控、可信。

詳情請見《金融時報中文網》的專欄文章：https://www.ftchinese.com/story/001110571

#港大經管學院 #人工智能 #歐盟人工智能法案 #思維領導

28/08/2026

Bottoms up in Tokyo!

To mark the end of summer, our HKUBS Alumni Network Japan co-organized a happy hour gathering with the NUS MBA Alumni Association this past Wednesday night. Approximately 30 participants attended from both top-tier institutions, uniting together to form valuable new connections and create lasting memories.

Our President, Noriko Liu, graced the occasion with her Opening Remarks. Special thanks to Vice-President, Aya Higashio, and Executive Committee Member, Yuta Shirahata, for their meticulous event coordination behind-the-scenes. Our next enchanting evening will be just under a couple months away, to mark the first anniversary of our Japan alumni network, which will be a joint celebration together with the HKU Alumni Network of Japan on Sunday October 18 – stay tuned for more!