News

December 20, 2017

Prof. Tao Zha of SAIF Named as Fellow of Econometric Society

The Econometric Society officially named Prof. Tao Zha, Distinguished Professor of Economics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance, as Fellow of Econometric Society on November 17th, 2017. Founded on December 20th, 1930, the Econometric Society is one of the largest and most respected economic societies, which gathers the best economists across the world. 20 new fellows were named in 2017, among which Prof. Zha is the sole Chinese economist. Prof. Zha’s research interest focuses on macroeconomics, financial economics, Chinese economy and econometrics. At present, he serves as Chair Professor of Economics at Emory University and Director of Center for Quantitative Economics Research at Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Three of his articles have been quoted by the Committee of Nobel Prizes in Economic Sciences. He has also won the grants of National Science Foundation and ECB Wim Duisenberg Fund. Prof. Zha has acted as Distinguished Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) and Director of Center for Macro Financial Research at China Academy of Financial Research (CAFR) since 2013. Thanks to his sponsorship, SAIF Center for Macro Financial Research was officially launched in December 2013, which is committed to driving the construction of fundamental data on China’s macroeconomy, analysis on typical facts and modeling characterized by China’s regime.

December 20, 2017

Prof. Statty Stattev from UNWE Visited SAIF & Shared his Insights on B&R ...

Prof. Statty Stattev, D.Sc.(Econ.), Professor of Economics, University of National and World Economy (UNWE), Sofia, Bulgaria, was present at SAIF-CAFR Lecture on November 18th, 2017 and provided an exciting keynote speech on the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative and macroeconomy in EU, in the front of nearly 200 participants from Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) and Antai College of Economics & Management (ACEM). Prof. Stattev, one of the leading scientists, economists and mathematicians in Bulgaria, currently serves as Professor and Chancellor at UNWE, Chairman of Board of Supervisors at Bulgarian National Bank, Chairman of Bulgarian Association of Chancellors and banker. According to Prof. Stattev, as one of the entrances of China’s B&R into EU, Bulgaria is now extensively promoting the initiative and is eager to increase the depth and breadth of its involvement in the Silk Road. As to the economic development in EU, Prof. Stattev noted that so far, EU’s political integration exceeded its economic integration, which resulted in a number of setbacks and concerns to Europe. He hoped that centralized financial and treasury policies would be developed and implemented in the Eurozone. After the speech, Prof. Stattev also discussed the greatest challenges Bulgaria is now facing and the potential benefits and challenges in “16+1” with Prof. Chun Chang, Executive Dean at SAIF and responded the questions from participants.

December 20, 2017

SAIF Employment Report 2017 Released

Recently, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) officially released its Employment Report 2017. According to the report, SAIF saw off 56 SAIF MF graduates in 2017. Two of the graduates decided to continue their education, while the remaining 54 graduates received job offers, with the mean of starting salary at nearly RMB270,000 and the median at RMB200,000. Thanks to the specialized and world-oriented curriculum of SAIF MF Program, 15% of SAIF MF 2017 graduates have joined financial institutions in Hong Kong, US, Austria, France and other developed markets. SAIF MF Program moved up to 14th in the world and 1st in Asia in the Financial Times’ (FT) 2017 ranking of global business schools published in June 2017. It was also reported that 96% of SAIF MBA graduates in 2017 received job offers from employers and 4% started their own businesses. The percentage of finance-related offers doubled, from 41% before enrollment to 87%, and most of the employers were leading financial institutions in China. For years, SAIF FMBA graduates have been highly favored by financial institutions. By the date of report release, among 46 SAIF FMBA 2017 graduates, the mean of starting salary was RMB248,000, up to the peak of RMB500,000.

August 30, 2017

SAIF Financial Forum Held in Nanjing

SAIF Financial Forum organized by Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) was held in Nanjing on May 21, 2017. At the forum, different views about China’s economic restructuring and capital market development were expressed by renowned economists, financial scholars and executives of financial institutions, including Chun Chang, Executive Dean of SAIF; Min Zhu, Former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Vice Governor of the People’s Bank of China and President of the National Institute of Financial Research; Jinlao Huang, Executive Vice President of Finance Suning and Director of Suning Financial Research Institute. Min Zhu shared his insights about changes in the world economic structure, the, Trump shock and policy shifts. . Chun Chang delivered a keynote speech on China’s economic restructuring and the financing of light-assets companies. Jinlao Huang offered his views on consumer upgrades and Internet financial service support”. During the round table discussion, Chun Chang and Jinlao Huang were joined by Chaojun Xu, Chairman of Nanjing Financial Assets Exchange; and Yidong Zhang, Chief Strategy Analyst of Industrial Securities and Deputy Director of Industrial Securities Research Institute. The group had an in-depth discussion on the development status and reform trends and on how the financial industry could ride the current international economic and financial waves. The forum attracted nearly 400 guests from the academic, industry and regulatory communities. Yanqing Yang, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Business News and President of CBN Research Institute, presided over the forum.

August 30, 2017

SAIF Financial Forum Held in Fuzhou

SAIF Financial Forum organized by Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) was held in Fuzhou on July 1, 2017 under the theme of “Trends and Innovation: Financial Reform and China’s Economy”. At the forum, open dialogues on the trends and opportunities for economic and financial development of China were staged among renowned economists, financial scholars and executives of financial institutions, including Dr. Shusong Ba, Chief Economist of China Banking Association and Chief Chinese Economist of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited; Yan Hong, Deputy Dean and Professor of Finance at SAIF; Yidong Zhang, Chief Strategy Analyst of Industrial Securities and Deputy Director of Industrial Securities Research Institute. Prof. Chen Xinlei, Deputy Dean of SAIF, delivered an opening speech. Dr. Shusong Ba delivered a keynote speach entitled “China’s Economic and Financial Policy in 2017: Review and Prospect”. Yidong Zhang elaborated the “world of core assets” from three perspectives. Prof. Hong Yan made a keynote speech about “the development of private equity investment industry and the opportunities of asset allocation”. Xinlin Zheng, President of Fujian OneBank; Dachun Lin, founder of Sunnada Communication and Chairman of WinfundInvestment Management Company; Xiang Kong, head of the financial sector and Senior Analyst of CIB Research, joined the above speakers for the round table discussion, at which they shared latest research findings, practical experience and insights about the current development and reform trends of the financial industry and the overall economy. The forum attracted about 400 high-end audiences, including financial academics, practitioners and regulators.

August 30, 2017

2017 Summer Institute of Finance in Qingdao

The 8th Summer Institute of Finance, jointly organized by Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF), Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, and PBC School of Finance, was held in Qingdao, Shandong Province, from July 20 to 22, 2017. More than 60 scholars and industry experts from all over the world attended the summit to share their research and insights. Sheridan Titman, former President of the American Finance Association Chair Professor of Finance at the University of Texas at Austin and Special-term Professor of SAIF, served as the Chair of the Jury Committee. Prof. Jiang Wang, Chair of SAIF’s Academic Council, Prof. Chun Chang, Executive Dean, and Prof. Hong Yan, Deputy Dean, along with Prof. Nengjiu Ju, and special-term professors Anmin Zhang and Huibing Zhang were present at the event. The summit this year received 265 papers, 10 of which were selected by a jury panel of more than 30 members to be presented at the summit, in addition to a policy-oriented paper. This summit focused on China’s financial issues and covered such topics as market bubbles, information transmission, executive incentives and corporate governance. SAIF Prof. Hong Yan and special-term Prof. Sheridan Titman,Prof. Huining Cao of CKGSB, and Prof. Hong Zhang of PBCSF presided over the discussions at parallel sessions. SAIF Prof. Nengjiu Ju presented his paper entitled “Optimal Contracting with Unobservable Managerial Hedging”. Scholars from the United States, Canada, Australia and China listened to the presentation and commented on the paper.

August 30, 2017

SAIF Co-Sponsors 15th China International Conference in Finance

Organized by the MIT Sloan School of Management and cosponsored by Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) and School of Economics of Zhejiang University, the 15th China International Conference in Finance was held in Hangzhou from July 12 to 15, 2017. More than 800 scholars and industry experts around the world attended the conference. Jiang Wang, Special-term Professor and Chair of SAIF’s Academic Council, served as the chair of the conference. At the conference, Congjiu Zhu, Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province, delivered a welcome speech, followed by a keynote speech addressed by Sheridan Titman, Professor of the University of Texas, Austin. The conference received nearly 1,200 papers, and a total of 240 papers were shortlisted. The authors were professors and doctoral students from world-class business schools as well as researchers from various financial institutions and regulatory bodies. The papers of several SAIF professors, including Hong Yan, Yeguang Chi and Xiaomeng Lu, were on the shortlist. More than ten papers from nine SAIF special-term professors, including He Zhiguo, Harrison Hong and Lu Zheng, were also included, which made SAIF a prominent contributor in terms of both the number of authors and that of papers. During the three-day academic conference, Tan Wang, Jun Liu, Hong Yan, Huibin Zhang and several other professors of SAIF served as the chair of conference subcommittees, among whom SAIF special-term Prof. Jun Pan acted as the Program Chair and SAIF special-termProf. Xiaoyun Yu was Program Co-Chair.

August 30, 2017

SAIF 2017 Commencement Ceremony Held

Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) held a graduation ceremony on July 9, 2017, at which more than 350 graduates were awarded degrees. Prof. Wei Cai, Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, attended the ceremony and addressed a speech. Mr. Jianqin Jiang g, Chairman of China-Central and Eastern Europe Investment Cooperation Fund and former Chairman of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, served as the keynote speaker. Mr. Jiang pointed out that success comes from persistence and perseverance. In the financial sector, the one who sticks to the end will be the king. The financier community appreciates not sprinters but marathon champions. He encouraged the graduates to fight for long-run successes instead of being contented by brief applauses. Graduates of the MF, FMBA, EMBA, DBA and PhD & Ms-PhD programs attended the event. Prof. Jiang Wang, Chair of SAIF’s Academic Councilcongratulated the graduates and hoped that they would always carry the SAIF spirit with them. The graduation ceremony was hosted by Prof. Chang Chun, Executive Dean of SAIF. Jie Pan, Associate Dean, served as the master of the ceremony. More than ten leaders and professors, including Yaguang Wang, Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Qigui Zhu, Secretary of the Party Committee of SAIF; Feng Li, Deputy Dean; Hong Yan, Deputy Dean; and Fei Wu, Associate Professor were present at the ceremony. Outstanding graduates were commended at the ceremony. He Wang, Zhang Wenbo, and Chen Xuanxuan---graduates of MF Program, and Zhu Yun and Wang Pengfei---graduates of FMBA Program, were honored as “Distinguished Graduates in Shanghai”. Other fifteen graduates, including Xu Junru and Xu Zhengwei, were honored as “Distinguished Graduates of Shanghai Jiao Tong University”.

August 30, 2017

Identifying 'gray rhinos' key to reducing their risk

Identifying ‘gray rhinos’ key to reducing their risk It's only recently that the term "gray rhino" entered the lexicon of the economic world, but what it indicates — large and obvious risks that are often neglected — has always been around. In China's case, the "gray rhinos" could stem from shadow banking, the real estate bubble, high leverage at State-owned enterprises (SOEs), local government debt and illegal fundraising, according to the Office of the Central Leading Group on Finance and Economic Affairs, China's top economic policymaking office. Identifying "gray rhinos" is important in dealing with them. How can we guard against a certain risk if we don't even acknowledge its existence? The US subprime mortgage crisis was a typical example of failing to recognize the "gray rhino." Before the crisis, many people were aware that there was a problem with subprime mortgages, but combined with the inattention of regulatory bodies to this problem, some were inclined to believe that the problem would somehow go away, which proved to be wishful thinking. The "gray rhinos" threatening China are well-known to the public, which has heard numerous warnings from various experts. Take the real estate bubble as an example. It's apparent to many that the current state of China's economic development can hardly sustain high property prices in major cities for long. However, since the real estate sector is a pillar industry of the economy, any attempt to prick the bubble may trigger a crisis and have a negative impact on the overall economy. Therefore, deflating the bubble without pricking it is a delicate, long-term balancing act for the government. While the real estate bubble seems relatively urgent and severe, it should be pointed out that shadow banking has played a crucial role in the formation of almost all the "gray rhinos" in China, contributing not only to the bubble in the property sector but also to SOEs' high leverage. But shadow banking itself is not the real cause of the problem, and a proper understanding of the origin of "gray rhinos" is needed to address the risks. The rise of the shadow banking sector is driven by financing needs that cannot be met through either the formal banking system or the capital market. China's banking system has developed unevenly and it is not completely market-driven. The inadequate incentive structure in the financial system keeps lenders from serving the needs of all enterprises and consumers. China's financial imbalances and excessive liquidity have also contributed to the growth of shadow banking, as excessive liquidity has failed to flow into the real economy and has instead circulated in the financial system. This situation has in turn exacerbated the real estate bubble, SOEs' high leverage, excess local government debt and other risks. Addressing such risks without pricking the bubble requires a delicate balance of measures, meaning that decision-makers need a high level of wisdom to steer the whole economy. An "iron fist" approach should be avoided or it may risk triggering a new crisis. For instance, when China's securities regulators cracked down on margin financing outside the brokerage system in June 2015 to reduce mounting risks in the stock market, their action backfired as it stoked market fears and led to plunges in stock prices. With high leverage seen as a source of financial risks, some are concerned that the deleveraging process will cause a slowdown in economic growth, which may generate new risks and cause new crises. Such worries could be justified if China's economic environment remained stuck in the past, when financial institutions and SOEs relied heavily on excess liquidity and high leverage. To break out of this cycle, China must further facilitate the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as innovative companies. That requires strong policy support from the government, such as lowering the entry barriers to key industries for non-SOEs and reducing the tax and regulatory burdens of SMEs to improve their profitability. Capital always seeks the highest returns, so if SMEs improve their revenues and profits, capital will naturally be drawn into them and keep liquidity from flowing out of the real economy. To defuse China's "gray rhinos," authorities need to control risk and reduce leverage in traditional sectors, while at the same time providing incentives to guide capital into SMEs and innovative industries that will be the new drivers of continued economic growth.

August 04, 2017

China's wealth managers join forces to tap family office growth

China's wealth managers join forces to tap family office growth Chinese wealth managers are increasingly teaming up to penetrate the top-end family office business sector in China in order to serve the burgeoning number of super rich, say industry insiders. More wealth managing institutions, including banks, trusts and wealth management firms, are making the foray into the family office business at a time when it is still in the early stages in China. With a long history in the US and Europe, family offices are organisations run on behalf of a high net worth family with the goal of wealth preservation and transferring wealth to future generations. Typically, they are composed of private bankers, asset managers and lawyers who take care of investments, taxes, trusts and legal matters. Unlike in overseas markets – where a single family office, or those only serving a single wealthy family, are more common – in China there could be a larger number of multifamily offices, or organisations serving a number of ultra high net worth families, according to Wu Fei, an associate professor at the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. "We've seen a growing trend where local family offices are outsourcing their non-core business, or choosing to join hands with professional services providers in specific segments," said Wu. He said it could be too demanding and costly for a single institution to offer all types of services required by a high net worth family by their own staff. In these cases, the work can be outsourced in cooperation with other firms, including tax planning, family education and charity contributions. Financial institutions sometimes even need to team up with niche service providers for tailor-made services, such as booking a journey on a private jet, visiting Ivy League universities in the United States, and obtaining VIP tickets for a pop-star concert. More than half of family offices on the mainland were set up in 2015 and 2016 to tap the emerging market, according to a study led by Wu in cooperation with consultancy FOTT. Most of their assets under management are worth less than 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion), according to the study, which surveyed 35 multifamily offices in China. Family trusts, a popular arrangement for wealth preservation and inheritance, could be a common service, or first step, offered by businesses aiming to penetrate the family office market, though not all are required to include the service. In China, only licensed firms can operate as trustees, driving wealth management businesses to team up with trust firms. Beijing-based CreditEase Wealth Management has joined hands with five trust firms both onshore and offshore, including mainland China based Chang'an Trust. Through the partnerships, CreditEase makes use of the trust structure to offer customised wealth management solutions, said Dillon Hale, head of family office for CreditEase and a member of its global asset allocation committee. "The business shows good signs of growth since operations started in late 2015, with 50 cases in the pipeline," he said, adding that he expects projects to grow 50 per cent in value each year in next three years before ultimately expanding it to a full service family office in the long run. The proliferation in number of super-rich is luring financial institutions and professional services providers like accountants and lawyers into the family office sector. In 2016, China was home to 1.58 million high net worth individuals who have at least 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) in investable assets, and the number is expected to grow 18 per cent to 1.87 million this year, according to a joint report from Bain and China Merchants Bank. Their combined investable assets of 49 trillion yuan in 2016 are projected to rise to 58 trillion yuan this year.