Full Breakdown
HKU Launches Wealth Management Academy to Bolster Hong Kong’s Global Wealth Hub
9/8/2026, 10:28:41 PM
Academy Inauguration and Objectives
The University of Hong Kong Business School opened Hong Kong’s first university-led Wealth Management Academy on Tuesday. The academy is designed to unite policymakers, financial institutions and academics to train professionals for the wealth-management, asset-management and family-office sectors. Its core mission is talent development, linking “policy, industry, academics and research” to meet the growing demand for expertise in investment, succession, governance and cross-border issues.
Background and Context
Hong Kong’s private-wealth industry has expanded rapidly, positioning the city as a leading cross-border wealth centre. According to Boston Consulting Group, cross-border wealth in Hong Kong reached US $2.95 trillion in 2025, marginally surpassing Switzerland’s US $2.94 trillion. The city’s proximity to mainland China and its international connections are cited as key advantages, prompting a push to attract “new money from the East” and to differentiate from Switzerland’s “old money from the West.”
Official Statements & Responses
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui, emphasized that the city’s distinctive role stems from its links to mainland China and the wider world, and that the quality of human capital determines the effectiveness of financial capital management. He noted that the wealth-management sector now requires professionals adept at handling complex cross-border matters.
Hongbin Cai, dean of HKU Business School, highlighted the strategic aim of the academy to draw new wealth flows from mainland China and emerging regional markets, contrasting Hong Kong’s emerging “new money” with Switzerland’s traditional “old money.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “The quality of human capital ultimately determines how well financial capital is managed,” — Christopher Hui
- “Switzerland is mostly [about] old money from the West, and Hong Kong needs to do new money from the East,” — Hongbin Cai, dean of HKU Business School
What’s Next
The academy will expand its activities to include scholarships, industry forums, company visits and practitioner dialogues. Building on HKU’s existing programmes—an undergraduate asset-management track launched in 2017 and master’s programmes introduced in 2024 and 2025—the academy will focus on research, talent development and deeper industry engagement in the coming years.
