The "Partnering for FinTech Growth: Saudi Arabia - China" salon, which also served as the FinTech exchange session of the Lujiazui Industrial Finance Forum 2025, was successfully held at Expo New Bund. The event was jointly organized by the Expo Administration Bureau of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Administrative Committee, the Shanghai Services Federation (SSF), the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia, and the Shanghai International Centre for Communication and Cooperation between Exchanges (SICCCE), with academic support from the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU).
Focusing on FinTech cooperation and development between China and Saudi Arabia, the event attracted over 150 professionals from FinTech, academic, and industrial sectors in both countries. Attendees included representatives from Saudi financial regulatory authorities and executives from more than 20 listed companies. Yichen Shen, Special Assistant to the President of the SSF, moderated the exchange session.
In his opening address, Weiwei Li, Director of the Investment Promotion Division of the Expo Administration Bureau of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Administrative Committee, positioned Expo New Bund as an international industrial hub and a crucial bridgehead for Chinese enterprises accessing global markets. A representative from the Pudong New Area Commerce Commission stated that the district is promoting FinTech through policy support to drive industrial upgrading and facilitate the global expansion of Chinese enterprises.
A representative from Saudi financial regulatory authorities outlined Saudi Arabia's strategy to accelerate an open and inclusive FinTech ecosystem. Key initiatives include advancing FinTech labs and regulatory sandboxes to provide a secure testing environment. The representative expressed strong interest in technology-driven cooperation with Chinese partners to create mutual value and facilitate market entry.
Professor Zhan Jiang, Term Professor and Executive Director of SAIF, highlighted the institute's deep expertise at the finance-AI intersection. She detailed SAIF's strategic push in "AI + Finance" interdisciplinary research through collaborations with the SJTU School of Artificial Intelligence and the launch of a new EMBA "Finance × AI" track designed to cultivate talent.
Zhiying Yang, Director of the SICCCE, underscored the vast potential for mutual empowerment between the Chinese and Saudi capital markets and FinTech sectors, stressing that deepened exchange and synergetic cooperation are essential to unlocking future possibilities.
Professor Zhan Jiang also moderated a panel discussion with Saudi regulators and leading Chinese FinTech executives, exploring practical pathways for cooperation. She emphasized the critical synergy between academia and industry and the alignment of Chinese FinTech expertise with Saudi market needs. Following the panel, executives from Shanghai Data Group and KPMG China shared insights on technology implementation, risk management, and ecosystem co-construction, contributing diverse perspectives to advance the bilateral dialogue.
