On 19 March 2026, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held the inauguration ceremony of the PolyU – Quant Cloud Centre for AI in Accounting and Finance. Professor Jin-guang Teng, President of PolyU, delivered an opening address at the event, marking the official launch of the University’s strategic initiative at the interdisciplinary intersection of artificial intelligence and finance. During the ceremony, Capital Finance Holdings Limited (CFHL, stock code: HK.08239) announced a HK$5 million donation to the Centre, earmarked for cutting-edge research and industrial applications of AI technologies in finance.
At the opening of the ceremony, President Teng stated that the global financial industry is undergoing profound transformation driven by artificial intelligence, a booming sector with boundless potential. He noted that PolyU will advance its institutional transformation to comprehensively upgrade its education and research capabilities. President Teng expressed hopes that this partnership will spark new breakthroughs, unlock fresh opportunities and foster more collaborative prospects.
Amid warm applause, a formal cheque presentation ceremony took place. Dr. Zeng Zhiyun, Chairman of the Board of Capital Finance Holdings, formally handed over a HK$5 million donation cheque to Professor Nancy Su, Head of the School of Accounting and Finance at PolyU. This solemn moment not only represented the injection of dedicated funding, but also embodied the industry’s firm trust and earnest commitment to the University’s research prowess.
Deep Integration of Industry, Academia and Research to Build a Benchmark for AI Finance Innovation
As the representative of the donor, Dr. Zeng Zhiyun remarked in his speech: “This donation is not merely financial support; it is a strategic initiative to deeply integrate our over ten years of practical fintech data accumulation with PolyU’s world-class academic research resources.” He added, “This marks a vital joint exploration into AI-enabled finance, as well as a key milestone in Capital Finance Holdings’ business transformation.”
Dr. Zeng explained that starting as a traditional short-term financing service provider, CFHL is committed to accelerating the intelligent digital transformation of its conventional financial operations. The Group has independently developed an AI intelligent service platform covering intelligent data processing, smart risk control, AI customer service, digital marketing management and other business scenarios.
The partnership between CFHL and the Quant Cloud Centre for AI in Accounting and Finance will integrate PolyU’s top-tier academic strengths with the enterprise’s real-world data advantages to tackle practical bottlenecks in the industrial implementation of AI finance. Both sides will also deepen cooperation in co-developing an “AI + finance” talent training system, nurturing new generations of professionals to sustain the industry’s long-term growth.
Data Empowers Academia, Innovation Feeds Back to Industry
During the donation ceremony, Dr. Zeng Zhiyun highlighted: “The Quant Cloud Centre for AI in Accounting and Finance will serve as an outstanding platform pooling insights from industry, academia and research. We look forward to witnessing more groundbreaking outcomes here, injecting new momentum into Hong Kong’s development as an international innovation and technology hub.”
In her closing address, Professor Nancy Su expressed sincere gratitude to CFHL for its generous donation, as well as to President Teng for his support. She stated that the Centre will collaborate closely with industrial partners including Going Quant to build an open research ecosystem and conduct in-depth joint research across artificial intelligence, accounting and finance.
This donation stands as a pivotal milestone in Capital Finance Holdings’ strategic transformation and signals a new era of university-industry collaboration. With the official launch of the Centre, both parties will jointly explore innovative AI applications in core scenarios such as risk management and asset pricing. The innovative closed-loop model spanning academic research, industrial validation and commercial translation is set to establish a new benchmark for the global fintech sector.
Professor Geoffrey Shen, Associate Vice President (Global Partnerships) of PolyU, and Mr. Li Wei, Director of Capital Finance Holdings, were among the distinguished guests witnessing the Centre’s inauguration. Market observers anticipate that the official operation of the Centre will usher in a new chapter of dual-driven growth powered by data and academic expertise through the university-industry alliance.