Recently, the Shenzhen Municipal Financial Regulatory Bureau, in conjunction with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), launched the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Youth Financial Institution Internship Program, aiming to deepen two-way exchanges between youth in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, attract more Hong Kong youth to study, work, and live in the mainland, use “small incisions” to drive “big cooperation”, jointly promote the construction of the Greater Bay Area, and support Hong Kong’s better integration into the national development plan.

On June 18, 2023, the opening ceremony of the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Youth Financial Institution Internship Program was successfully held at Shenzhen University. Mr. He Jie, Director of Shenzhen Municipal Financial Regulatory Bureau, Ms. Zhang Xiaohong, Vice President of Shenzhen University, and representatives from Standard Chartered Bank, CITIC Securities, WeBank and other institutions attended the opening ceremony. Nearly 40 young students from Hong Kong and 20 students from the Shenzhen University WeBank Institute of FinTech (SWIFT) participated in the event.

Vice President Zhang Xiaohong of Shenzhen University stated in her welcome speech that this internship program aimed to provide Hong Kong university students with the opportunity to intern in Shenzhen and experience urban life in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The internship program not only helped Hong Kong youth understand the workplace culture of financial institutions in the Greater Bay Area, but also guided Hong Kong youth to accumulate valuable experience and establish networks for future career planning. To instruct Hong Kong youth better understand Shenzhen, the Greater Bay Area, and the motherland, it was hoped that Shenzhen and Hong Kong youth could jointly seize the development opportunities of the Greater Bay Area and contribute to the development of the financial industry in the Greater Bay Area. It was also hoped that Shenzhen and Hong Kong youth could work together to shoulder the responsibility of the times, create brilliance in the Bay Area, and share the glory of our motherland!

In his speech, He Jie, Director of Shenzhen Municipal Financial Regulatory Bureau, pointed out that Hong Kong has a trading mechanism and marketing network that connects global financial markets, and has international leading advantages in gathering global financial resources, innovating financial regulatory models, and creating a soft and hard environment for financial development. Shenzhen is a “paradise for entrepreneurship” and “capital of innovation”, with industrial and innovation advantages. Strengthening financial cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong can promote Hong Kong’s integration into the overall development of the country, maintain long-term prosperity, stability, and sustainable and healthy industrial development. In recent years, financial cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong has gradually shifted from the initial mutual establishment of institutions and talent interaction to institutional integration such as rule connection, mechanism docking, business integration, and qualification mutual recognition. It was hoped that young students could take internships as an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Shenzhen, the Greater Bay Area, and development of the motherland. Through internships, they could strengthen the combination of theory and practice, stimulate more innovative, creative, and original thinking, and achieve something to reflect, something to gain, and something to succeed.

Lin Yuandong, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank in Greater Bay Area, stated in a special presentation that the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was full of opportunities and challenges, and cross-border talent was one of the key driving forces for the development of the Greater Bay Area. The banking industry had a responsibility to provide more opportunities and platforms for cross-border talents, helped them realize their dreams, and contribute to the development of the Greater Bay Area. Standard Chartered Bank has continuously optimized its talent management and training system in recent years to help youth gain more opportunities and growth space in the banking industry and the development of the Greater Bay Area.

Tian Liang, Executive General Manager of CITIC Securities Research Department, spoke as a representative of the internship institution and stated that as the only securities company in China with assets exceeding one trillion yuan, CITIC Securities has always adhered to the strategy of “talent strengthening enterprises”. At present, enterprises urgently need financial talents with an international perspective, as well as composite talents who integrate finance and technology. It was hoped to explore a talent introduction and training mechanism that was in line with the development strategy of financial institutions through the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Youth Internship Program.

Zhong Jiashan, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, spoke as a student representative and stated that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was full of unlimited potential and opportunities. In recent years, the HKSAR government has strongly encouraged Hong Kong youth to move north for development. It was hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the current development status and future plans of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area through this internship program, grasp the development trends of the regional economy, and lay a solid foundation for future career development.

Subsequently, He Jie, Director of the Shenzhen Municipal Financial Regulatory Bureau, gave special lectures on the “development of Shenzhen’s financial industry”, and Gao Yuxiang, Senior Researcher of FinTech at WeBank, gave lectures on the “competitive landscape and development trends of FinTech”.

                                 

In addition, the event also invited Xin Murong, Deputy Director of Park Operations and Brand Director of Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao FinTech Practitioners of the Shenzhen FinTech Association, to introduce and share talent needs for Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao FinTech Practitioners. Tan Yan, Deputy Director of the Employment Promotion and Unemployment Insurance Department, represented the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security to explain the “Implementation Rules for Shenzhen to Further Support Hong Kong and Macao Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship”.

                                  

At the end of the opening ceremony, student representatives from the Shenzhen University WeBank Institute of FinTech (SWIFT) shared their award-winning works in the “Shenzhen International FinTech Competition”. At the same time, students from both regions divided into groups to discuss issues related to FinTech innovation and gave group presentations.