Press Release

On 8 April 2025, the third “Hong Kong Crypto Finance Forum” was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Notably, the Forum featured the inauguration ceremony of the HKU Web3 Research Hub. Dean of HKU Business School, Prof. Hongbin Cai was joined by Associate Vice President of the University of Hong Kong and Associate Dean of the HKU Business School, Prof. Chen Lin; as well as Co-Founder and CEO of Amber Group, Michael Wu; CTO of Avenir Group, Alex Yang; and CEO of HashKey Capital Singapore, Deng Chao. 

During the ceremony, HKU Business School signed three strategic partnership Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Amber Group, Avenir Group, and HashKey Group to advance innovation in global crypto finance, coin trading competitions, quantitative asset management, and digital payments. The MoUs will support the Business School’s commitment to leading the way in research and education in the coming Web3-driven era. The event marked an important industry collaboration that will help promote the development of global crypto finance.

The HKU Web3 Research Hub will serve as a dynamic ecosystem for research, education, innovation, and entrepreneurship in blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi), digital assets, and other cutting-edge Web3 technologies. The Hub will also promote collaboration between academia, industry leaders, and policymakers to deliver a pool of dedicated professionals and cutting-edge research, as well as incubate high-potential start-ups.

Prof. Lin also delivered a keynote speech entitled, “The Centralized Crypto Finance Cycle,” where he shared his insights on the necessity for cryptocurrencies to strengthen their technological infrastructure, and promote on-chain native innovation to stimulate real-world usage, transactions, and consumption.

Over the next three years, the HKU Web3 Research Hub is due to launch a series of initiatives that will further bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and practical applications of Web3 technologies.