Henri Arslanian
Prof. Henri ARSLANIAN
Finance
Adjunct Professor
Academic & Professional Qualification

Executive MBA (EMBA Global)

Columbia Business School – London Business School – Hong Kong University

(New York, London, Hong Kong, 2012–2013)

Masters in Chinese Law (LL.M.)

Tsinghua University (Beijing, 2006–2007)

Masters in Common Law and Transnational Law (LL.M.)

University of Sherbrooke (2005–2006)

  • Dean’s List of Excellence with 4.0/4.3 GPA.
  • Recipient of Canada’s Governor General Academic Gold Medal for Academic Excellence.

Bachelor of Law (LL.B.)

University of Montreal (Montreal, 2002–2005)

  • Dean’s List of Excellence with 3.7/4.3 GPA.
  • Participated in a semester exchange program at Université Panthéon–Assas (Paris II), France.

 

Biography

Henri Arslanian is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Hong Kong where he teaches courses on cryptocurrencies and FinTech.

Henri was previously a partner and global crypto leader at PwC. In that role, he advised many of the world’s leading crypto exchanges, investors, financial institutions and tech firms on their crypto initiatives as well numerous governments, regulators and central banks on crypto regulatory and policy matters. Henri was also the first Chairman of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong.

With over 500,000 LinkedIn followers, Henri is a TEDx and global keynote speaker, a best-selling published author and is regularly featured in global media including Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, BBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and the Financial Times.

Henri was named by LinkedIn as one of the global Top Voices in Economy & Finance and is the host of the CryptoCapsules™ social media video series as well as The Future of Money podcast and newsletter.

Henri was named by Onalytica as the #1 most influential individual on Finance globally on LinkedIn out of 50k+ individuals working at the top professional services and management consulting firms in the world.

Chambers Global named Henri the “highest profile FinTech consultant in Hong Kong”, Blockchain Asset Review named him the “Most Influential Crypto and Blockchain Thought Leader in Asia”, and Asian Private Banker awarded him the “FinTech Changemaker of the Year” award.

Henri’s previous book “The Future of Finance: The Impact of FinTech, AI and Crypto on Financial Services” published by Palgrave Macmillan, was ranked as one of Amazon’s global top 10 best-sellers in financial services and was recognized as one of the “Best FinTech Books of All Time” by Bookauthority.

Before joining PwC, Henri spent many years with UBS Investment Bank in Hong Kong. Henri started his career as a financial markets and funds lawyer in Canada and Hong Kong.

Henri speaks five languages including English, French, Armenian, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese

Teaching

Cryptocurrencies, digital assets, FinTech

Research Interest

Cryptocurrencies, digital assets, FinTech

Selected Publications

“Entrepreneurship in Finance” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016)

“The Future of Finance: The Impact of FinTech, AI and Crypto on Financial Services” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019)

“The Book of Crypto: The Complete Guide to Understanding Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022)

Awards and Honours
  • Recipient of Canada’s Governor General Academic Gold Medal for Academic Excellence.
  • Awarded PwC Chairman’s Game changer award (2018) for exemplary leadership in driving change
  • Named as “Most Influential Crypto and Blockchain Thought Leader in Asia” (Blockchain Asset Review, 2021)
  • Named “Highest profile FinTech consultant in Hong Kong” by Chambers (2018)
  • Named “2018 Fintech Game changer of the Year” by Asian Private Banker
  • Ranked #1 most influential individual on Finance globally on LinkedIn out of 50k+ individuals working at the top professional services and management consulting firms in the world
  • Received 2013 UBS CEO Awards for Excellence, participated in UBS Ascent high performers program
  • Named one of the global “20 Rising Stars Under 40” by the Armenian Bar Association.
Service to the University/Community
  • Chairman – FinTech Association of Hong Kong (2017–2020), Board Member (2017 -present)
  • FinTech Advisory Board – Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (2017–present)
  • Innovation Panel – Dubai International Financial Centre (2021 – present)
  • Council of Advisers – Hong Kong Institute for Monetary and Financial Research (2019-present)
  • Young Leaders Circle – Milken Institute (2016–present)
  • Co-Chair, FinTech Committee – American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (2017–2018)
  • Co-Chair, FinTech Committee – Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts (2016–2018)
  • FinTech Working Group – HK Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) (2016–2018)
  • Co-Chair/Founder, Financial Services Committee – Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (2013–2017)
  • Board of Directors – Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (2010–2015)
  • Regulatory and China Committees – Alternative Industry Management Association (2012–2015)
  • Chair, China Business Committee – Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (2009–2012)
  • President and Co-Founder – Quebec-Asia Law and Business Association (2007–2008)
  • Goodwill Ambassador, Armenian Blockchain Association (2019-present)
  • Supervisory Board Member, Armenian Church of Singapore (2015–present)
  • President and Founder, The Armenian Community of Hong Kong and China (2013–2016, 2018-2021)
  • Board of Directors, London Business School Alumni Club of Hong Kong (2013–2016)