The International Monetary Fund Shanghai Center officially commenced operations on December 8th, 2025. SAIF professors attended the inauguration ceremony and related academic sessions, including Executive Dean and Chair Professor of Accounting Shijun Cheng and SAIF Chair Professor of Finance Jun Pan.
Professor Pan participated in an expert dialogue on current issues in Asian macroeconomic policy and moderated the thematic session on "Finance and Payment Systems," delivering opening remarks.
In an interview with Shanghai Television, she emphasized the Center's significance as an international platform for research exchange, noting its potential to support regional policy and academic work through integrated data and systematic analysis.
The Center will serve as a pivotal hub for the IMF to strengthen regional collaboration in the Asia-Pacific, providing policy analysis for emerging markets and middle-income economies. It will facilitate dialogue with regional members, financial institutions, academia, and think tanks, amplifying the IMF's engagement across the region.
Announced during the 2024 Lujiazui Forum, the Shanghai Center builds on established collaboration between SAIF and the IMF. Previous engagements included a visit by IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas to SAIF on June 21st, 2024, and the SAIF-IMF Academic Seminar on October 30th, 2024. The seminar featured discussions on global economic trends with IMF experts including Steven Alan Barnett (Senior Resident Representative for China), Galip Kemal Ozhan (Economist, Research Department), Eric Huang (Economist, Research Department), and Lei Zhang (Economist, China Office).
SAIF will continue deepening its cooperation with the IMF in financial research, supporting the stability and development of global financial markets.
