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On April 17, 2021, an appreciation ceremony for the 3rd anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) Donation Wall was held at the Xuhui Campus at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). Professor Guangshao Tu (Adjunct Professor at SJTU and Executive Director at SAIF) and Professor Chun Chang (Executive Dean, Professor of Finance and Huifu Chair Professor at SAIF) delivered welcome speeches. At the beginning of the ceremony, Professor Jie Pan (Vice Dean at SAIF) introduced the history of the SAIF Donation Wall to the donors and alumni. In April 2018, in recognition of the contributions to the development of SAIF made by donors, the SAIF Donor Wall was officially established in the south hall at SAIF at Xuhui Campus. At present, 100 individuals, 14 classes, and 19 enterprises have been listed on the wall. Many of them have made multiple donations, which fully reflects the SAIF donation culture — "Be thankful for mutual benefits". In April 2019, SAIF ran a special donation program called "Step By Step" to celebrate its 10th anniversary of establishment. Professor Chang said in his speech that SAIF donors demonstrate the "Gratitude"spirit of both SJTU and the International Business School, which is one of the most precious assets of SAIF since its establishment twelve years ago. He hoped that with the spirit of SJTU and the power of SAIF, donors and SAIF would continue to be of benefit to each other. As a representative donor of the "Step By Step”program, Professor Tu said that the development of SAIF was inseparable from the care and support of all kinds of shareholders, with special recognition being given to the donors. Through the program, Professor Tu jointly established the "SAIF Qinglan Fund" with several professors. He hoped that these programs and funds would promote young scholars to collaborate in their efforts with teaching and research to build SAIF into a world-class financial school.

On January 29th, 2021, the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) held the 2020 Year-End Meeting & Award Ceremony. Professor Kuiling Ding, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee and Executive Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU); Professor Guangshao Tu, Adjunct Professor at SJTU and Executive Director of SAIF and Professor Jiang Wang, Executive Director and Chair of Academic Council at SAIF delivered speeches, followed by an annual report by Professor Chun Chang, Executive Dean and Huifu Chair Professor at SAIF. Nearly 200 faculty and staff members were in attendance. During his speech, Professor Kuiling Ding congratulated SAIF on its achievements in the “extraordinary year” of 2020, under the great impact of COVID-19 outbreak. He also pointed out that the next decade will be a critical period for SJTU to solidify its position at the forefront of leading universities and for SAIF to build itself into a world-class financial school. He hoped that SAIF faculty and staff would make a joint effort to kick off the upcoming new year and to develop SAIF into one of the SJTU’s best brands. Professor Guangshao Tu delivered a speech on the theme of “Farewell to the Old and Welcome to the New”, in which he summed up the past and looked forward to the future with three key words: “celebration”, “appreciation”, and “blessing”. Professor Chun Chang reviewed the overall development of SAIF in 2020, including organizational structure, faculty pooling, human resources development, academic research, policy think tank and partnerships. An award ceremony was followed on which several individuals and teams were rewarded for their outstanding performances during the past year.

Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University recently released the Full-time Financial MBA (FMBA) Employment Report, which shows that 93% of SAIF FMBA graduates had achieved their career transformation/promotion in the financial sector. The median salary has increased by nearly 90% as compared with salaries before enrollment. As China's first financial MBA program, over the years, SAIF FMBA Program has been highly recognized by industry for its world-leading financial education system and outstanding teaching. Graduates have continued to gain great favor from financial institutions. This year, 42 FMBA graduates had an average starting salary of RMB 288,000, up 72% over figures before enrollment, with the median being RMB 280,000 (an increase of 87% over figures before matriculation). Aimed at fostering industry leaders with modern financial expertise, SAIF FMBA Program is committed to training a community of financial talent with local influence and international competitiveness. Entrepreneurs and professional managers with an industry background, a financial mindset, and an innovative spirit are also welcomed to join. Statistics shows that in this intake, 45.24% of the FMBA graduates came from the financial sector and 54.76% came from non-financial industries before joining SAIF. After two years of systematic education and training through the SAIF FMBA Program, the students have been enriched and strengthened in terms of professionalism, skills, and global outlook. Upon graduation, 93% of them have successfully realized career transformation or job promotion in the financial sector, or have been hired by industry-leading employers. Asset managers employ 50% of our graduates, of which 32.5% are engaged in primary markets such as asset management-private equity/venture capital. Employers include a number of well-known institutions in the industry, including: Hillhouse Capital, Panda Capital, Bank of Communications International, and Shanghai Science Venture Capital (Group) Co., Ltd. Investment banks, securities companies, and financial advisors employed 42.5% of our graduates. Most of the employers are reputable investment banks and leading securities firms, including: China International Finance Corporation Limited, CITIC Securities, Guotai Junan Securities, and Shenyin Wanguo Securities. In addition, the "Finance +" multidisciplinary quality of FMBA graduates has been gradually recognized and favored by the market. Some graduates have even entered into a “fast track” to professional promotion by participation in management trainee programs with such companies as the China Resources Group and Thermo Fisher Scientific - SA. Investment and research positions are most popular among for this year's SAIF FMBA graduates, accounting for 60% of the total. In addition, sales/trading and investment banking represent 22.5% and 10%, respectively. Of the investment and research posts, 37.5% are engaged in primary market investment and research, while 22.5% are engaged in secondary market investment and research. Of the sales/trading posts, 15% are engaged in sales and 7.5% are engaged in trading.

The latest 2020 China Rising Affluent Financial Well-being Index reveals that the COVID-19 outbreak has prompted China's rising affluent population to attach more importance to financial planning and diversified investment. Asset management fragility of the rising affluent class shows the need for improving financial literacy and consolidating foundations of wealth management. Meanwhile, the investment advisory model (combining offline consultants with digital platforms) helps to comprehensively upgrade their financial well-being. On November 27th, 2020, both the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Charles Schwab jointly released the 4th issue of the China Rising Affluent Financial Well-being Index. The index tracks the changing perception of wealth among China's rising affluent population, a group that has a growing influence on the Chinese and global economies. The latest data in 2020 show that, despite the impact of COVID-19, the financial outlook of China’s rising affluent population is still optimistic. Many rising affluent individuals have gradually realized the importance of financial planning and diversified investment, and have actively formulated financial plans and optimized asset allocation. Therefore, this group's preference for various investment advisory services has increased significantly. However, the financial management of many rising affluent individuals still shows deficiencies — mainly manifested in their inability to repay debts as scheduled. To this end, financial service providers should take the initiative to carry out investor education, guide them in order to properly cope with challenges, and optimally manage their wealth. The 4th issue of the Index focused on the changes in financial well-being and investment behaviors of the rising affluent population in China under COVID-19 pandemic. The survey interviewed more than 4,300 rising affluent individuals with annual incomes of RMB 125,000 to RMB 1,000,000 and with investable assets of less than RMB 7,000,000. The 15 cities covered in China include: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Dalian, Xiamen, Chongqing, Wuhan, Nantong, Shijiazhuang, Zhongshan, Kunming and Xiangyang. The questionnaire consist of 65 questions involving core issues related to index modeling. Initiated by SAIF and Charles Schwab, the China Rising Affluent Financial Well-being Index is now being carried out by Nielsen, an international monitoring and data analysis company. The 2020 Index helps financial professionals to better understand and explore the investment behaviors of China's rising affluent population in order to provide more services tailored for this group — which is of extreme importance to the Chinese and global economies.

Between November 19th and 22nd, the public welfare initiative of the Financial Media Program 2020 was successfully held. It provides short-term, specialized, and customized training for leading financial media professionals. After several rounds of selection, dozens of senior executives, editors and reporters (from top-notch financial media across China) enrolled in the 2nd Intake of the Program and spent three days at the SAIF Shanghai Campus. On the evening of November 19th, the Opening Ceremony and Dean's Night of Financial Media Program 2020 were held. Professor Qigui Zhu, Secretary of the Party Committee of SAIF, expressed a warm welcome on behalf of SAIF to the participants in the 2nd Intake of the Program. He pointed out that SAIF Financial Media Program brings together senior executives and journalists in the financial media community. The program imparts financial thinking, improves financial skills, and promotes the vigorous development of China's financial sector through a short-term (yet intensive) study journey guided by experts and scholars. Afterwards, the first session was delivered by Professor Chun Chang (Professor of Finance, Executive Dean and Huifu Chair Professor of SAIF), who reviewed the evolution of modern FinTech and delineated the prospect of "Finance in the Digital Age" for media professionals. Daojun Wang (Editor-in-Chief of Blue Whale Finance and representative of Intake 2 graduates), shared his experience with his peers. The three-day Program officially began on November 20th. The Program concluded with presentations of participants based upon their three-day journey which brought the 2nd intake of the Program to a successful end. In spite of the high concentration, density, and precision of the Program, many media participants looked forward to more such opportunities in the future. They enjoyed listening to the interpretation and analysis of SAIF faculty, exchanging views with other media peers, broadening their horizons and vision, and enhancing their capability.

On the afternoon of November 22nd, the 1st Chongqing Future Finance Roundtable and the unveiling ceremony of Chongqing Advanced Institute of Finance Research were successfully held in Chongqing. Speeches were delivered by: Bo Li, Vice Mayor of Chongqing; Yulin Huang, Secretary of the CPC Yuzhong District Committee; and Chun Chang, Professor of Finance, Executive Dean and Huifu Chair Professor of Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF), Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Guangshao Tu (Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Executive Director of SAIF and Chairman of Shanghai Finance Institute), conveyed an address and a keynote speech. Organization participants, leaders, experts, and scholars attending the event included: the Chongqing Local Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau, the Chongqing China-Singapore Project Management Bureau, the Chongqing Operation and Management Department of the People's Bank of China, the Chongqing Banking and Insurance Supervision Bureau, the Chongqing Securities Supervision Bureau, and the Yuzhong District. Focusing on the theme of "New Development Pattern of Future Financial Services", this event was jointly organized by the Chongqing Local Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau, the Yuzhong District People's Government and SAIF. It was underwritten by the Chongqing Institute of Financial Research and the SAIF (Chongqing) Education Technology Co., Ltd. Policy oriented, the Chongqing Advanced Institute of Finance Research studies financial policies, builds a platform for financial exchange and communication, integrates financial resources in Shanghai and Chongqing, and accelerates the implementation of national strategies. It has set up a green financial center, a FinTech center, a financial law center, an enterprise risk management center and a talent training base. These centers translate research findings into policy interpretations in the financial sector, ensure their accuracy and practicality, and effectively aid in the development and upgrading of Chongqing's financial sector. As an unofficial and non-profit financial think tank, the Chongqing Advanced Institute of Finance Research focuses on China-Singapore financial mechanisms to fully empower Chongqing, western provinces and cities, and China's financial sectors. Chongqing Advanced Institute of Finance Research will explore the financial landscape in Chongqing and the western region. Along with well-known scholars and experts from the academic community and industry, it will investigate practical and effective methodologies to provide strong support for SAIF’s insights for the financial markets in the western regions and across China. It will play an active role in the construction of inland financial centers, China-Singapore and Chongqing-Shanghai connectivity, FinTech, and green finance.

Recently, Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) released the employment report of SAIF Master of Finance (MF) graduates in 2020. The report shows that despite the global economic and social turmoil and the overall grim employment situation affected by COVID-19, the employment figures of SAIF MF graduates still rose against the dim trend and continued to maintain a 100% employment rate. The mean and median starting salaries of SAIF MF graduates both reached record highs, demonstrating the strong market competitiveness of the graduates. It is reported that among this year's 84 SAIF MF graduates, apart from 3 graduates who decided to continue their studies, nearly 90% of the 81 graduates received offers before the Chinese New Year and assured their favorite jobs six months before graduation. The average salary is RMB355,000 and the median figure is RMB300,000, up 11.3% and 11.1% respectively from 2019, with 14.8% of the graduates earning more than RMB600,000/year. As SAIF’s flagship program, SAIF MF has always been in the lead in employment data among comparable institutions and universities. This year, the overall employment statistics still fully highlights SAIF MF’s differentiators of Internationalization, Specialization and High Level. Statistics shows that 4% of the 81 graduates moved to Europe and the United States, while another 10% went to work in Hong Kong and other destinations. In terms of industries, asset management and investment banking/securities/financial advisory are two main sectors for this year's graduates. The former has attracted 34.6% of the graduates, and employers include leading domestic and foreign investment institutions such as Temasek, Huaping Investment and Tencent Investment. The latter accounted for 33.4%, including international investment banks such as Bank of America Securities, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup, as well as domestic head institutions such as China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC) and CITIC Securities. Online leaders have also become new hotspot targets for SAIF MF graduates, including ByteDance, Meituan Dianping, Bilibili and other unicorn companies. In terms of functions, investment research posts have become the most popular positions for this year's SAIF MF graduates, accounting for 42%, followed by consulting/strategic investment, investment banking and other traditional preferred functions, accounting for 13.6% and 11.1% respectively. In addition, thanks to the tailored career guidance of SAIF Career Development Center, some graduates with strong interest and strength in quantitative research have won quantitative-related offers from top institutions at home and abroad, including Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and CITIC Securities. The career development of SAIF graduates cannot be separated from the long-term support and wide recognition of employers, who have given positive feedback on the performance of SAIF MF graduates. According to CICC, which has successively recruited SAIF MF graduates for years, "SAIF fosters and delivers many outstanding talents for CICC and the financial sector at large every year, who strive to realize their dreams of youth and struggle in investment banking, stock, fixed income, private investment, research, strategic development and other roles. We hope that SAIF would cultivate more young professionals of the new era with ideals and energy, who will continue to explore the financial world, move forward, work hand in hand to forge CICC’s ambition and strive to build the great Chinese dream." Also one of the frequent employers of SAIF graduates, Guangfa Fund commented, "Essentially, we hire SAIF MF graduates every year, most of who are sound in expertise, steadfast and diligent. They are often high performers in the investment research positions of the company. We needs graduates who can not only look up at the starry sky and have the ambition of serving China’s financial sector, but also keep their feet on the ground and always keep in mind the priority of the interests of the holders. We hope that SAIF could train more talents with these attributes. " Master of Finance Program is a full-time flagship program launched by SAIF in 2009. All the students graduated from world-class universities, and the average admission rate over the years was below 5%. With all courses taught in English, SAIF MF Program aims at training international financial professionals who are proficient with modern financial theories, techniques and skills and are familiar with the practices of the financial sector in China and across the world. Compared with other similar programs in China, SAIF MF features world-class faculty from leading international universities, dynamic curriculum design in line with international standards, internationalized and open-minded educational systems and modern teaching approaches supported by the simulation laboratory. The curriculum and the courses are closely linked with the development of the international financial industry and the reality of the Chinese and international markets. Students not only have the opportunity to participate in joint admission programs with Columbia University, London School of Economics and other world-known institutions, but also enjoy international resources and exclusive short-term overseas modules all over the world. In 2018, SAIF MF Program added MF-FinTech Track to the existing MF-General Track, which focuses on finance, machine learning, computer technology and application, committed to fostering urgently needed cross-disciplinary professional for the global financial industry. In the Masters of Finance Ranking published by Financial Times in 2020, SAIF MF Program maintained its leadership in a number of measures, including "PhD Faculty" (No.1 in the world), "Salary Today" (No.4 in the world), "Salary Increase in Three Years after Graduation" (No.5 in the world and No.1 in Asia), and "International Courses" (No.25 in the world and No.1 in Asia). Overall, it ranked 13th out of all 55 schools on the list and 1st in Asia for the third time in a row. "We want to endow our students with not only cutting-edge skills, but also the ability to think systematically and innovatively, which will help all SAIF MF graduates to grow continuously in the next decade or even decades and become modern professionals close to the market and with outstanding expertise and international vision," said Prof. Tan Wang, Faculty Director of SAIF MF Program and Professor of Finance at SAIF, "Over the past ten years, SAIF MF has been on the road to success step by step, by adhering to our international vision and integrating our curriculum with China's financial needs, while persisting in continuous innovation. The organic combination of the two ensures our program full of vitality, and that our students can learn and apply what they have learned in practice. In the future, we will continue to adhere to this roadmap and direction."

On October 28th, the Donation Ceremony of Shanghai Chenxi Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd. was held at Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). Prof. Guangshao Tu, Adjunct Professor of SJTU and Executive Director of the Board of Directors at SAIF, delivered a speech on behalf of SAIF. He greeted and thanked all the guests attending the event and hoped that both parties would further strive for financial research and talent training and make more contributions to the rise of China's economy. Mr. Zhenbin Yang, Secretary of the CPC Committee of STJU, reviewed SAIF’s original goal and the achievements made over the past 11 years. He pointed out that SAIF's development could not be separated from the support and assistance of all sectors of the community. He was confident that this targeted donation would effectively help SJUT's efforts to become a top-class university and establish top-class disciplines, and to better serve China's key strategic needs. He hoped that SAIF and Chenxi would work closely together, continuously explore and keep pace with the major issues of the time, innovatively carry out collaborations in talent training, think tank construction and other aspects, and jointly make unique contributions to China’s economic and social development. Later, Mr. Jiaojie Cheng, Director and Secretary-general of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Education Development Foundation, Prof. Chun Chang, Executive Dean, Professor of Finance and Huifu Chair Professor at SAIF, and Mr. Xinyu Zhou, President of Shanghai Chenxi Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd. executed a donation agreement on behalf of the three parties respectively. Prof. Guangshao Tu, Mr. Zhenbin Yang, Mr. Feng Lin and Ms. Xin Yang witnessed the signing ceremony. Afterwards, Mr. Jiaojie Cheng and Prof. Jie Pan delivered donation certificates and gifts to Mr. Xinyu Zhou and Ms. Xin Yang. This donation reflects the real care and ardent expectation of alumni and their organizations for SAIF and will also significantly support SAIF’s financial research and operation. In turn, SAIF will keep the kindness in mind, forge ahead with determination, strive to repay the society with outstanding achievements, and make unremitting efforts for Shanghai to transform into an international financial center commensurate with the power of China's economy and the international position of RMB.

In September, the classrooms of Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) were restored to their past vitality. Having been separated by the COVID-19 outbreak for several months, students gathered together again and sat in classroom lectures with both relief and anticipation. In order to ensure the successful return of both international and domestic students, SAIF’s academic, administrative, and IT teams (as well as MF, MBA, GES, and EMBA programs) worked together to: investigate the back-to-school intentions of faculty and students, formulate teaching plans, and facilitate the safe and orderly operations of various modules. In early July, the Academic Affairs Department began to contact local and overseas faculty (in several rounds) about their teaching preferences and worked overtime to develop teaching plans based on updated requirements. Each program, especially the SAIF MF Program (having a large proportion of international students), approached each student and tabulated the number of students who couldn’t return to campus as scheduled. In compliance with the epidemic prevention requirements of both the Ministry of Education and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), the administrative team formulated detailed epidemic prevention guidelines and procedures for entering and leaving campus. In view of the fact that some overseas faculty and international students could not return to SAIF as scheduled, SAIF decided to implement a parallel teaching system in the Fall Semester composed of a combination of both online and offline courses. Students and faculty in mainland China would all attend in person classes, while students and faculty who couldn’t return to campus (due to restrictive entry and exit policies during the COVID-19 pandemic) would instead have online classes. In September, thirteen classes in the MBA and MF Programs would end up following the parallel system. Estimates show that at least 30 classes will implement the new system throughout the Fall Semester. The Academic Affairs Department will also realign the system periodically, according to the exigencies of the epidemic and actual circumstances on campus. In order to uphold teaching quality, the IT team implemented urgent acquisitions, upgraded teaching systems, and cooperated with the Academic Affairs Department and various programs to carry out parallel teaching training and testing among students and teaching assistants. Now, even if faculty are soley online, they can still have a clear view of the classrooms as well as seamless interaction with both online and offline students. After wide-ranging intensive preparation, starting on September 1st, SAIF Fall Semester 2020-2021 registration kicked off as scheduled. Existing full-time students registered on campus on September 1st, 2nd and 3rd, followed by new full-time students on September 4th and 5th. Alternatively, both existing and new part-time students (as well as students who couldn’t return to school due to immigration policies) registered online. Although 984 existing students and 541 new students were involved in the registration process for the new semester — due to well-designed planning— the traffic routes were clear, epidemic prevention instructions were elaborated upon, and the registration site was in order, without overcrowding. With temperature being measured, facial masks in place, and direction by SAIF security guards, the students swept in and out of the south and north entrances with valid SJTU Campus Passes. The administrative team also offered paper towels, hand sanitizers, alcohol cotton pads, disinfectant, and other cleaning and disinfection supplies at the entrances of SAIF Building, elevator lobbies, and student classrooms.

On September 19th, the closed meeting entitled “Trends and Solutions of Private Economy” was held and the opening ceremony of the Private Economy Research Center of Shanghai Advanced Institute for Financial Research (SAIFR) was successfully launched. It was jointly organized by the China Academy of Financial Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CAFR-SJTU), SAIFR and its Private Economy Research Center. A number of distinguished guests were invited to witness the inception of the new Research Center and to discuss trends and solutions. Prominent attendants included: Mr. Guangshao Tu, Adjunct Professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Executive Director of the Board of Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF); and Mr. Hanmin Zhou, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of CPPCC, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of China Democratic National Construction Association, Vice Chairman of Shanghai CPPCC, and Chairman of Shanghai Committee of China Democratic National Construction Association.