Early glimpse of CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) – Are Asian countries ready for it?

Mr. Nike Kong, Chief Information Officer of Hang Seng Bank, is responsible for technology services within the bank and its subsidiaries including Hang Seng Indexes.  Nike has over 30 years of technology management experience in the financial services industry, taking on various senior roles in the HSBC Group including the recent two years leading the IT function of Hang Seng Bank.  Nike has extensive knowledge in enterprise system development and technology change management across different segments including retail, commercial and investment banking.  Nike holds a Bachelor of Mathematics Degree from the University of Waterloo.

Brian Lam is a Senior Manager at the Fintech Facilitation Office of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority responsible for facilitating the healthy development of the fintech ecosystem in Hong Kong and promoting Hong Kong as a fintech hub in Asia. Prior to this assignment, he has helped setting up the operation of the Trade Repository of the HKMA for the over-the-counter derivatives trades reporting regime. Before joining the HKMA, he worked for a number of global investment banks and “Big-4” accounting firms, both in Hong Kong and London. Brian holds a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Oxford, England.

Working as technologist for over 20 years from retail insurance to commercial banking and wealth management industries. He has gained a lot of exposure in various technology architecture and platforms. In recent years, he focused on the Asia-Pacific region and leveraged customer-centric design principles. He has developed a few key digital products including WeChat mini-banking, trade finance blockchain platform and other digital banking products for retails and ultra-high net-worth individuals.

In livi bank, he is now fully dedicated to promoting financial inclusion and delivering secure, safe and customer-centric banking experience to HK customers.

Peter Lee the Chief Technology Officer, IBM Hong Kong & Distinguished Engineer, Technology Unit, IBM Greater China Group. Mr. Lee has over 25 years of IT experience and leads pre-sales technical support and architect infrastructure solution based on IBM Server Solutions, System Storage and System Software.

Mr. Lee is a veteran in IBM Systems who led technical communities and made outstanding contributions to business and industry via number of large scale project implemented, e.g. Banking Card Infrastructure at China Union Pay; Banking solutions deployment at countrywide Banks & RCCB in PRC; AI solution deployment in GCG region; ERP Infrastructure deployment at Fortune500 companies; TOP500 High Performance Computing projects at China Meteorological Administration & Taiwan Central Weather Bureau etc.

Mr. Lee has recently played Technical Advisor role to IBM China Standards Council, helping IBM China to monitor, feedback and comply with many evolving China Regulations. It does not only help IBM to safeguard our business in China, but also facilitate our customers to better understand China Regulations and to land their business in China with IBM as their Trusted Technology Partner.

With that, Peter Lee has been appointed to be the first Distinguished Engineer of IBM Systems in IBM Greater China Group since 2014.

Prof. Seen-Meng Chew is an Associate Professor of Practice in Finance and the Associate Dean for External Engagement at CUHK Business School.

Before joining CUHK in 2018, Prof. Chew was a Vice President at J.P. Morgan in Hong Kong, where he worked with the Vice Chairman of Asia Pacific to market China’s investment opportunities to senior international clients.  Before Hong Kong, he worked as an economist at the Singapore offices of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Morgan Stanley, analysing the economic policy and outlook of South East Asian countries. And prior to returning to Asia, he was a consultant at a prominent consulting firm, NERA Economic Consulting, in Chicago, where he advised multinational corporations on their international pricing strategies.

Passionate about higher education, Prof. Chew strives to incorporate his industry knowledge and experience into the classroom at CUHK, where he teaches current fintech trends, mergers and acquisitions, and global macroeconomic strategy. To maintain industry ties, he currently serves as an executive committee member of the Asia Pacific Structured Finance Association (APSA), and a non-executive Director at Actelligent Capital, an asset management firm.

His written work has been published in well-known business journals such as the Asia Asset Management Journal, The CAPCO Institute Journal of Financial Transformation, Financial Times, and the International Tax Review. He also has substantial lecturing experience at universities in the US, Hong Kong and Singapore, in economics and finance courses.

Prof. Chew received a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago in 2007, where one of his thesis advisors was Prof. Gary Becker – the 1992 Nobel Laureate in economics.  He also holds an MPhil in economics from the University of Cambridge, and a BSc in economics from the London School of Economics.