Shenzhen Audencia Financial Technology Institute (hereinafter referred to as “SAFTI”), Shenzhen University, was established in April 2022 with the approval of China’s Ministry of Education. It is a non-independent legal cooperative entity jointly set up by Shenzhen University and Audencia Business School, which is one of the best business schools in Europe with triple-accredited (EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA) diploma programs.

SAFTI is fully engaged in following and executing China’s major national strategy of developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, playing an active part in the China-France High-level People-to-people Exchange Mechanism, mobilizing first-rate educational resources and advanced principles in running educational institutes across China and France, and exploring a new and innovative model for developing Fintech talent with a global vision. By integrating university-business cooperation with international education, SAFTI is a top-notch institute aiming to develop elite and high-caliber professionals.

The Institute offers undergraduate and international graduate programs, including three Sino-foreign cooperative undergraduate programs, namely Financial Technology, Big Data Management and Applications, and Blockchain and Information System, as well as one major for the graduate program -- Financial Technology and Risk Control.

Qualified Teachers

Full-time Faculty: SAFTI has over 60 full-time faculty members, including more than 30 professors from the Audencia Business School (France). All faculty members have graduated from well-known universities at home and abroad, including Tsinghua University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Columbia University, the University of California, the University of Oxford, EU Business School, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Queensland.

Visiting Scholars: SAFTI maintains close ties with well-known businesses and has many well-known experts and scholars from the business sector and academia as visiting scholars, including Professor Qiang Yang, chief AI officer of WeBank, Professor Kevin Zheng Zhou of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Wilson Tong of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Associate Professor Tu Jun of the Singapore Management University, among others.

Business Mentors: SAFTI has more than 50 industry elites as business mentors, who are deeply engaged in the practical and teaching aspects for student cultivation. These mentors are from well-known companies such as WeBank, Ping An Group, Shenzhen Branch of the China Central Depository & Clearing Co., Ltd., Bank of China, and the Boston Consulting Group, etc.

Innovation in Scientific Research

SAFTI has a research-friendly climate. The Institute has a strong scientific research ability, with one highly cited scholar. Over the past five years, our faculty members have published 142 journal articles, including 53 papers in top journals, and 36 conference papers and book chapters; they have undertaken 44 horizontal and vertical research projects, including 11 National Natural Science Foundation projects, and 16 ongoing projects; and they have published 2 monographs.

International Education

SAFTI has adopted advanced European schooling concepts and is actively engaged in international education. Specialized courses are combined with an international faculty and original teaching materials taught in English; scholarships are provided to support students to join exchange programs and study in France and experience the local culture; international students from Europe are enrolled for short-term studies at the Institute as a way to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries; various academic and business lectures on cutting-edge subjects are provided to expose students to international perspectives; extensive cooperation has been established with renowned Chinese and international universities in joint education, scientific research, faculty and student exchanges, and social services.

Elite Education Results

In 2022, SAFTI saw its first class of undergraduate students and students in the first cooperative master’s degree program graduate.

Of the undergraduate class of 2022, 43% joined well-known companies, including Tencent, WeBank, ByteDance, PWC, Bosera Funds, Huawei, Shenzhen Stock Exchange.; 41% pursued further studies at famous universities at home and abroad, including Sun Yat-sen University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, the National University of Singapore., among which more than 10% of graduates were recommended for admission to graduate schools.

All graduates of the class of 2022 in the cooperative master's degree program were awarded the Master of Science degree in Financial Technology and Risk Control by the Audencia Business School with a graduation rate of 100%. The employment rate of graduates was 95.0%, of which 57.9% of employers were banks and securities institutions, 35.8% other businesses, and 5.3% public institutions. The employers included well-known businesses such as Ping An Bank, China Merchants Securities, Ford China, and SF Express (Headquarters).