The Unveiling Ceremony Was Held in Conference Room 1, Tongde Building.

On March 8, Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU), in collaboration with the Shenzhen Branch of China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd. and the Shenzhen Fintech Association, officially inaugurated the Fintech Industry Academy, marking a major step forward in developing new models for talent cultivation in digital finance and supporting the fintech industry's growth in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

According to the cooperation agreement, the Fintech Industry Academy will be built around a new competency model of “digital literacy + technological foundation + scenario application”, with a focus on three core tasks: developing high-level digital finance talent, establishing dual-qualified teaching teams, and promoting applied scientific research and innovation. Through joint initiatives such as co-developing practical curricula, building off-campus training bases, launching customized training programs, and conducting collaborative R&D, the Academy aims to establish a widely recognized, exemplary institution within three years—creating a replicable and scalable “Shenzhen Model” for industry-academy cooperation.

At the unveiling ceremony, SZPU signed a cooperation agreement with the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Fintech Talent Certification Center for the SHMFTPP Level 1 Fintech Talent Program. With this agreement, SZPU becomes the first vocational university in China to be included in the program’s simplified certification whitelist. According to the agreement, students majoring in Fintech Applications and related programs can obtain a Level 1 Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Fintech Professional Certificate by passing just 3–8 subjects, a significant reduction from the usual 13. This streamlines the entire pipeline from education to certification to employment.

The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Fintech Professional Program (SHMFTPP) is a Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao cross-regional talent development initiative jointly launched by the Shenzhen Local Financial Supervision Bureau in consultation with the Hong Kong Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and the Monetary Authority of Macao. The program integrates training, examination, and certification and has been recognized by more than 110 companies in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao region.

At the concurrent Academic Forum on Fintech Undergraduate Program Development, over 100 representatives from government, academia, banks, and enterprises gathered to explore new paths for fintech talent development. He Jie, Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Deputy Secretary-General of the Standing Committee of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress, emphasized Shenzhen’s urgent need for a talent training system tailored to the evolving fintech industry. Zhang Kai, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Guangdong University of Finance and Economics, stressed that vocational undergraduate programs in fintech should focus on cultivating skilled professionals, guided by market demand and practical, broad-based learning. Yim Tik Yu, Director of Fintech at Hong Kong Cyberport, shared insights on Hong Kong’s experience in building a sustainable fintech hub and recommended deeper cross-border collaboration in AI, blockchain, and talent development. Yu Lingqu, Executive Director of the Financial Development and SOE Research Institute at the China Development Institute, pointed out that academic program development is a vital component of a city’s fintech ecosystem. SZPU Vice President Zhang Zuotai noted that the university has already established 18 specialized industry academies. The launch of the Fintech Industry Academy, in partnership with leading financial institutions, represents a strategic move to support the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as an international financial hub.

(Reported by Li Kai, School of Economics)