On May 18, 2026, during the 2026 Tsinghua PBCSF Global Finance Forum, Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance (Tsinghua PBCSF) convened the Second International Strategic Advisory Council Meeting. The meeting was held under the theme of Defining and Building a World-Class Finance School in Asia. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on key issues including the School’s strategic positioning, talent cultivation system, academic and research leadership, and participation in global financial governance, offering insights and recommendations for the School’s future development.
Photo: Group Photo of the 2026 International Strategic Advisory Council Meeting
The meeting brought together more than 20 distinguished political leaders, scholars, and financial industry leaders from around the world, including Ali Babacan, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey; Marek Belka, Former Prime Minister of Poland; Chea Serey, Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia; Joseph Cherian, Dean and Distinguished Professor of the Asia School of Business; Jinghan Chen, Chair Professor of Accounting and Finance at the University of Kent; Jacob Frenkel, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Group of Thirty (G30) and Former Governor of the Bank of Israel; Enoch Fung, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Academy of Finance (AoF) and Executive Director of the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary and Financial Research (HKIMR); Oliver Jenkyn, Group President of Global Markets at Visa Inc.; Jiang Xiaojuan, Professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS) and Former Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council of China; Kairat Kelimbetov, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and Former Governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan; LI Jiefeng, Honorary Board Member of Tsinghua PBCSF and Chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Small and Medium Listed Companies; LI Yao, Member of the Standing Committee of the 14th CPPCC National Committee and Member of the Economic Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee; Nouriel Roubini, Professor Emeritus of the NYU Stern School of Business; Masaaki Shirakawa, Former Governor of the Bank of Japan; Vera Songwe, Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair and Founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility (LSF); Michael Spence, Nobel Laureate in Economics 2001 and Philip H. Knight Professor Emeritus of Management at the Graduate School of Business of Stanford University; Marc Uzan, Executive Director and Founder of the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee; WANG Xin, Director General of the Research Bureau of the People’s Bank of China; WANG Zhongmin, Former Vice-Chairman of the National Council for Social Security Fund (SSF) and Chairman of the Shenzhen Finance Institute for Financial Stability and Development; YANG Wen, Head of North Asia at SWIFT; ZHOU Yanli, Former Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Former Vice Chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission; and ZHU Min, Former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Former Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank of China (listed in alphabetical order of surname).
Photo: Guests Attending the Meeting
Participants put forward a series of recommendations on the development of a world-class finance school in Asia. Regarding strategic positioning, participants noted that Asia is increasingly becoming the center of global economic and financial activity. Tsinghua PBCSF should fully leverage its unique strengths rooted in China and deeply connected with Asia, establish a differentiated strategic positioning, and contribute knowledge and insights to the world based on China’s financial practice, rather than simply benchmarking Western models.
On talent cultivation, participants emphasized that future top-tier financial talents should possess not only professional expertise in finance, but also interdisciplinary perspectives, critical thinking, and the ability to navigate uncertainty. The School should promote the integration of theoretical learning, policy analysis, and industry practice. More importantly, it should cultivate students’ ability to adapt to technological transformation, develop a deep understanding of the global geopolitical landscape, foster a strong grounding in humanities and global citizenship, and nurture openness, inclusiveness, and broad vision. These capabilities, participants noted, will become essential qualities for Chinese financial talent to thrive on the global stage.
On academic leadership, participants suggested that the School should not only pursue publication in leading international academic journals, but also deepen collaborative research with regulators and industry practitioners to enhance the practical relevance and policy impact of research. They encouraged the School to produce pioneering theoretical contributions in frontier areas such as financial security, green finance, digital currencies, regional financial cooperation, and global financial governance, thereby shifting academic research from following existing agendas to shaping new ones. Participants generally agreed that artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping both financial knowledge systems and the logic of talent cultivation. The School should therefore adopt an “AI-native” mindset to reconstruct financial knowledge systems and transform financial education from knowledge transmission to the cultivation of critical thinking and practical capabilities.
Regarding participation in global financial governance, participants noted that the current global financial governance system is undergoing profound restructuring. Tsinghua PBCSF should engage more proactively in this process by establishing more high-level dialogue platforms beyond existing formal mechanisms, proactively engaging in emerging areas such as green finance and climate finance, deepening cross-sector collaboration, and integrating China’s financial development experience and perspectives into the discussion and formulation of international rules, thereby assuming a greater leadership role in global financial governance.
Photo: Meeting in Progress
JIAO Jie, Dean of Tsinghua PBCSF, moderated the meeting. He reviewed the implementation of recommendations made during the inaugural International Strategic Advisory Council Meeting last year and introduced the School’s latest progress over the past year. Jiao noted that this year’s meeting generated rich and valuable discussions. The School will carefully study and translate these recommendations into concrete actions to promote high-quality development. He also expressed his hope that all guests would continue to support and follow the School’s development and witness Tsinghua PBCSF achieve even greater accomplishments in the years ahead. Standing at a new historical starting point, the School will continue striving toward its goal of becoming a top finance school in Asia.
ZHANG Xiaoyan, Associate Dean and Chair Professor of Tsinghua PBCSF, introduced the School’s latest developments and future plans in areas including faculty development, academic programs, think tank platforms, international partnerships, and the Tongzhou campus project.
Text | SUN Xiaoxiao, LIU Xinrui, CHEN Xiaoyan
Reviewer | YUAN Yuan, GU Qian
