Nicolas Aguzin, CEO of HKEX: What Is The Future of Hong Kong's Financial Industry?

On the 15th July 2021, the Finance Mandarin team joined the “Hong Kong: Financing Asia’s Growth” forum held by Asia Society Hong Kong. The VIP speaker for the event was Nicolas Aguzin, the CEO of HKEX, and moderated by Ronnie Chan, the Chairman of Hang Lung Group Limited.

Asia Society Hong Kong Center organised Finance Asia’s Growth today, with Nicolas Aguzin, Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) as the speaker.

The Future "Big Bang" in Finance

Mr. Aguzin emphasized that there will be a “big bang” in finance for Hong Kong in the next 10 years. Hong Kong’s capital market is expected to grow to over US$100 trillion and will be the biggest value creation and movement of money that humanity has ever seen.

“The best years of Hong Kong are ahead of us”, stated Aguzin.

The relationship between Hong Kong and China

The greater the Shenzhen and Shanghai do, the greater the Hong Kong performs. Hong Kong’s prospect is closely related to the development of Shenzhen and Shanghai. Mr. Aguzin stated that Hong Kong must work closely together to create vibrancy in the market to bring fortune and prosperity to the people. 

What can Hong Kong do to continue to strive in the future?

Mr. Aguzin commented that the HKEX needs to continuously look for areas of improvement. He shared an example of the black storm signal that was hoisted a few weeks ago, which caused the market's suspension. The lack of volatility needs to be addressed since work-from-home has already been a trend ever since the pandemic started. HKEX will look for solutions to tackle its vulnerabilities such as undisrupted operation under unforeseeable bad weather.

In general, Mr. Aguzin had high expectations and optimism about Hong Kong’s future development. He emphasized that there is a complementary relationship between Hong Kong and China, that the progress of Shenzhen and Shanghai will directly flourish Hong Kong’s wealth. Therefore, he highly encouraged companies to work closely in China to grasp a position to grow their business. 

It is mutually believed that there are vast opportunities in mainland China. This further highlights the importance of learning the nation’s language: Mandarin Chinese. Learning the Mandarin language is the most fundamental stepping stone to open doors of opportunities in China. It helps you to understand better the mentality of Chinese people and their business strategies.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”

Finance Mandarin has been providing Business Chinese Language Courses, using real case studies and with topics on JUMBO IPOs as learning materials.

Case Studies on IPOs includes Alibaba, China Tower, Kuaishou, Xiaomi, JD.COM, Meituan, Netease, Baidu, Bilibili, Yum China, Evergrande and more.

Learn Chinese with IPO Course: https://www.financemandarin.com/course-fm004-ipo

💫 You Learn, You Earn.

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Charles Li, former CEO of HKEX: Next Potential Global Trend: Cashless Society

What did Charles Li reply when Ming Pao asked “ why DiDi Chuxing choose US IPO? “

Charles Li's LIVE speech in Mandarin Chinese: Continuous Development of the Finance Industry in Hong Kong

Finance Mandarin joined the Insight Forum held by Our Hong Kong Foundation on 6th July 2021 (Tue) 3 pm – 4:30 pm HKT for the insights from professionals:

🔍 Charles Li, Senior Advisor to the Board at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX)

🔍 Laurence Li, Chairman of Financial Services Development Council

🔍 Wang Lei, CEO of Huatai Financial Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited

🔍 Kenny Lam, CEO of Two Sigma Asia Pacific

🔍 Stephen Wong, Deputy Executive Director and Head of Public Policy Insititute of Our Hong Kong Foundation

Mr Charles Li is the former Chief Executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX).

Insights from Li:

✔️ Next Potential Global Trend: Cashless Society

✔️ Worth discussion in the Finance Industry: Is it an opportunity or a challenge?

✔️ China 🇨🇳, and Hong Kong could lead the trend of cashless payments to the world if preparation is done

✔️ More small businesses (Labour Entrepreneurship) may lead in China

Finance Mandarin pioneer in providing the most popular FinTech Bootcamp Class for hedge fund, venture capital and private equity.

Book a Fintech Class today at Finance Mandarin for your improvement in Business Chinese: https://www.financemandarin.com/course-learn-mandarin?ct=35

Learning Mandarin Chinese is the key to success

💫 You Learn, You Earn:

ESG: Sustainable Investment is Getting Ahead In China

Since China signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly mentioned China's green and sustainable goals for 2030 and 2060 in the conference. In 2030, China will achieve a carbon peak, and in 2060, China will achieve carbon neutrality.

The latest five-year plan sets out China’s longer-term climate goals, notably with the introduction of a cap on carbon reduction. Beijing is actively building up the green finance stock exchange and is one of the international icons of China in high-quality development.

About Finance Mandarin:

We are the pioneer in teaching Business Mandarin with ESG and the first educational institute in promoting impact investment, inclusive finance, green finance, sustainability, low carbon policies, ESG KPI, and ESG exchange. 

Recently, Finance Mandarin is invited to join the "Sustainability Impact Corporate Awards for UNSDGs" which aims to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocated by the United Nations (UN). This is a recognition of Finance Mandarin’s contribution in promoting Green Finance education for business leaders.

We cover topic areas ranging from governance practices, regulatory trends, business communication, and topics tailored to your industry and needs.

Our Clients

Finance Mandarin designs bespoke curriculum for ESG education for in-house training, HKEX, SFC, BlackRock, Manulife, and the general public.

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从2015年中国签署《巴黎协定》以来，习近平主席多次在大会中提及中国2030、2060的绿色及可持续目标。2030年中国将实现碳达峰，2060年中国将实现碳中和。

在最新的十四五年计划中，中国政府再次强调了中国的绿色金融目标，引入了碳减排上限。目前北京绿色金融证券交易所、广东碳排放交易所，均是中国绿色金融快速发展的标志，体现中国达到目标的决心和信念。

关于Finance Mandarin:

Finance Mandarin是 ESG 商务普通话教学的先驱，也是第一家促进影响力投资、普惠金融、绿色金融、可持续发展、低碳政策、ESG KPI 和 ESG 交流的教育机构。

Finance Mandarin 获得 Social Impact Investment and Procurement Foundation (www.siip-un.org) 的邀请参加旨在推动联合国（UN）倡导的可持续发展目标（SDGs）的“联合国可持续发展目标企业奖”。这是对Finance Mandarin在推动绿色金融教育方面所做贡献的认可。

Finance Mandarin 提供企业内部培训，为香港交易所、香港证监会、贝莱德、宏利及其他金融公司的投资者设计了 ESG 定制的学习课程。

我们涵盖的学习内容包括治理实践、监管趋势、业务沟通以及针对您的行业和需求量身定制的其他学习主题。

Xi Jinping’s ESG Speech

绿水青山就是金山银山。

"Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets "- Xi JinPing

ESG Topics including:

• Green Finance and Inclusive Finance

• Xi Jinping’s Speech Analysis

• China’s latest ESG policy

Follow our social media channels to gain the latest ESG updates:

LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube

ESG Past Event with VIP Speaker Allen Xuan:

Event highlights:

• English: https://youtu.be/2wSPd9iGyNQ

• Mandarin: https://youtu.be/x7Q_YsczJR4

• FULL Live Event (25min) in Mandarin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V78awfj4tL0

• FULL Live Event (25min) in English: https://youtu.be/qpEHoJrvbjM

Debbie Chen

Finance Mandarin Top Trainer

— Over 8 years of Mandarin teaching experience focusing on finance and legal sectors

— Experienced in coaching clients such as HSBC, Bloomberg, Blackrock, Fidelity, Statestreet, VISA, AIA Insurance and Goldman Sachs

Vienne Lee

CEO and Curriculum Designer at Finance Mandarin

— Coach CEOs from the Capital Market, manage +300 corporate clients and 200 teachers

— 180,000 hours IPO, M&A digital content on case studies at AI Learning platform

— Raising US$20 million for capital expansion

Book your class now.

HKEX's Grace Hui - Media Interview Practice at Finance Mandarin | Green and Sustainable Finance

Grace Hui, Managing Director and Head of Green and Sustainable Finance at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX).

Who is Grace Hui?
Grace Hui is the Managing Director and Head of Green and Sustainable Finance at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX). She heads HKEX’s green and sustainable finance development program, driving the development of sustainable market-based solutions.

What is her mission?

Her mission is to promote green economy. In Dec 2020, she and her team launched a new platform called the Sustainable & Green Exchange (STAGE), Asia’s first multi-asset sustainable investment product platform, helping to increase the flow of ESG information across the financial and investment community.

What are her biggest challenges?

From a sustainability standpoint: Building investors’ awareness and understanding of ESG and green finance, the availability of quality ESG data from issuers, and the applicable standards for disclosure are the three biggest challenges.

As women working in the financial services sector: About how we get more women into leadership roles. That requires change.

Finance Mandarin helps Grace in 100 hours 1-1 Finance Mandarin and Media Coaching.

Book your Media Coaching Course at Finance Mandarin

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J.P. Morgan's Philippe El-Asmar: ETF Pitch in Mandarin Chinese | Busy Fund Manager Learns Business Chinese | Student Showcase

J.P. Morgan's Philippe El-Asmar: ETF Pitch in Mandarin Chinese | Busy Fund Manager Learns Business Chinese | Student Showcase

Pitching in Mandarin is not easy. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. I am proud to introduce one of my dearest students: Philippe El-Asmar, of J.P. Morgan. He just delivered an outstanding speech in Mandarin for the first launch of CIFM’s ETF in China 🇨🇳.

✅ Why does Philippe believe in China’s success?
✅ Why does he choose to work in China?
✅ Why does he encourage his 5 kids to learn Chinese?

Listen and you will be proud of him! 👏👏👏 Well done Philippe!

Mark Machin, Former President & Chief Executive Officer at CPP Investment Board

Mark Machin, Former President & Chief Executive Officer at CPP Investment Board

Dear Friends,

I just sent this message to my colleagues at CPPIB and wanted to share it with you.

Tomorrow is my last day at CPPIB. All journeys must come to an end. It has been said that it is better to travel well than to arrive. And we have traveled well.

What an incredible latest fiscal year. When I first sat in the seat as President and CEO five years ago, the assets were $278.9 billion; and it’s wonderful to have seen them grow to nearly $500 billion as of March 31. We generated returns over the last five years that none of us could have thought likely, averaging more than 11.0% per year! And you, we, have achieved this collectively. You have burnished CPPIB’s reputation as a benchmark and model for other pension funds around the world. I am so proud of each and every one of you, and I feel lucky to have worked along side you.
As I look back over the last few years, I am particularly proud of the momentum the organization has developed in a number of key areas: the use of data for investment insights; innovation and venture capital; sustainable investing; a strengthened lead in markets in Asia and Latin America; a deepened presence in Europe; a bolstered bi-coastal presence in the U.S.; greater diversity and inclusion; total fund management; installing a dedicated CIO; and, of course, improvements in all dimensions of risk management.

More important, our organization is not just about investment returns. The returns directly translate into the security and success of millions of Canadian retirements. We have been united in a common mission to serve the Canadian public; and we have delivered through your dedication, talent, and extraordinary work. That’s all the more true during the year of COVID, as we’ve been able to give comfort and confidence to Canadians at a time of intense stress and uncertainty that their pensions are safe, sound, and flourishing. You have outperformed with grace under fire. And I applaud each of you.

From tomorrow, I will be looking on with pride, and with awe, at your continued success. I have huge confidence in your future. I’d like to give a big thank you to my colleagues on the Senior Management Team, to all of you at CPPIB, to the board, and to Canada for having given me the opportunity to have worked with you all. It has been the highlight of my career. My special best wishes to John for a long and successful tenure as CEO.


Best regards,
Mark

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Mary Callahan Erdoes, J.P. Morgan's CEO of Asset & Wealth Management: Top 10 Themes That Will Define the Future of Asset and Wealth Management

Top 10 Themes That Will Define the Future of Asset and Wealth Management

J. Pierpont Morgan would be proud that many of the historical tenets of the asset- and wealth-management industry still form the bedrock of how money is managed in modern times. J.P. Morgan’s first investment fund was started in the late 1800s to serve British financiers wishing to invest in the emerging United States of America. The fund’s 150-year track record is a testament to our industry’s founding principle: While the world may change, clients’ desire for investment expertise and personalized service won’t.

With that in mind, here are 10 key themes that we look forward to helping our clients navigate in the future.

1) Price. Ever since I entered the asset-management industry, skeptics have warned that fee pressure will destroy profitability and detract top talent from the profession. Fees in every industry compress at some point. Successful firms of the future will thrive by either providing commodity-like products at scale for near-zero cost, or delivering hard-to-access insights and exposures that command a premium. Our industry must strive for continuous improvement on both ends of the spectrum.

2) Scale is a matter of survival. With compressed pricing, heavy regulatory controls, and immense spend on data, analytics, and risk-management tools, firms need a relentless focus on operational efficiency, a rigorous control framework, and a disciplined prioritization process around investments for the future. In this context, scale is key. Mergers and acquisitions and outsourcing of sub-scale and noncore capabilities to service providers will enable smaller firms to refocus their efforts back into their most important asset: talent.

JP Morgan Wholly-Owned Subsidiary in China Opened

3) Actively advising clients. If we learned anything from the Covid-19 crisis, it is the need for sound advice in volatile times. During that time, thousands of actively managed funds outperformed their passive alternatives across asset classes and portfolios. While markets may be efficient, manager selection is key and clients need guidance. The average industry return of a balanced portfolio over the past two decades was 6.4% annually, while the actual experience of the average retail investor was only 2.9%, a stark reminder of how critical hands-on advice is.

4) Impact and purpose. Portfolio managers and research analysts have become essential for investors seeking to make an impact in the world through their assets. Over 80% of surveyed CIOs expressed intent to invest in environmentally and socially conscious companies. Analyzing CEOs and their management teams is no longer just about inquiring about their financial and operational expertise and vision, but also about the impact they make on their communities and the planet. Rising demand for companies that drive positive change will create a virtuous cycle of asset allocation for good.

5) Personalization. Today’s investors want to be intentional, not passive, in investing. They care about taxes and want to overweight companies that can make a difference. They want to avoid whole sectors, or actively own and vote on a company’s strategic plans. Giving clients the freedom to pursue their very specific objectives in a highly customized manner will continue to drive innovation in our industry.

JPMorgan Asset Management MRF: 6th Mainland-HK Mutual Recognition Fund

6) Stable and predictable incomes. Millions of investors around the world have come to rely on their investment portfolios as a stable source of income. With individuals enjoying longer life spans and more active lifestyles, especially during retirement years, asset managers need to adapt their strategies to provide for a stable and predictable flow of income every month. Along the same lines, saving needs to start at a young age. Today, less than 40% of Americans have enough savings to pay for an unexpected $1,000 expense in cash. It is our collective responsibility to educate and advise on what is required to cover all of life’s events and milestones.

7) Understanding China. The pandemic has highlighted the interconnectivity of the world and how important China is to supply chains and new innovations. Against this backdrop, it is irresponsible to be a fiduciary of client capital and not have a deep understanding of places like China. It is hard to imagine having a true grasp of competitive global forces without on-the-ground insights of the economies, cultures, and politics of re-emerging global marketplaces. After 100 years of being on the ground in China, J.P. Morgan is poised to become the first foreign asset manager to acquire full ownership of a Chinese fund manager, pending regulatory approval. That kind of commitment will contribute massively to our global research network.

14th Five-Year Plan Insights: CBIRC - Real Estate - Grey Rhino with Greatest Financial Risk

8) Technology drives everything. To adapt to the velocity of progress and change, technology is providing our industry access, speed, and agility like never before. With more technologists than Google and Facebook combined, J.P. Morgan invests over $12 billion annually in technology to help empower our clients and employees to work faster and more seamlessly in ever-changing markets. We need to be forward thinking and have the ability to be a disruptor. Agile, collaborative partnerships between technologists and their businesses will drive innovation and speed to market at an exponential pace.

9) Access. With a global footprint and a full suite of investment vehicles, asset managers must continue to focus on enabling first-time investors to invest in previously inaccessible areas. We are finding ways to provide more opportunities, more choice, and more power to people. Investments once only available to the largest investors in the world are now being accessed by the everyday investor. Democratization of markets should create better outcomes for investors of all sizes. 

10) A new flexibility. Our industry adapted quite seamlessly to a previously unimaginable work-from-home scenario. As such, increased flexibility will broaden talent pools and should promote greater diversity. While never losing the apprenticeship nature of our business, we should continue to find new ways of working with one another to generate even greater success.

In coming years, the industry’s winners will remain obsessed about their fiduciary responsibilities. As stewards of capital, the ability to leverage technology and scale to deliver the same extraordinary experience for every investor, with $100 or $100 million, is now within reach.

Book your Asset Management Certificate at Finance Mandarin

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ByteDance IPO Business Chinese Mandarin | Interactive Course

As of November 2018, ByteDance had over 800 million daily active users (over 1 billion accumulated users) across all of its content platforms. The valuation of ByteDance was approaching USD 400 billion for private-equity investors in Apr 2021. It was claimed that revenue is mainly generated from Douyin and Toutiao, through advertising by pushing them to the target segment. Keep reading to see how the algorithm works.

ByteDance chose to go for a unique path since its establishment in 2012. Among all Chinese Internet companies, ByteDance is the first startup not receiving support or investment from Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu. In contrast, ByteDance is considered a competitor to those tech giants. Furthermore, ByteDance aims at competing with Google and Facebook.

We may attribute the success of ByteDance to its Bytedance’ artificial intelligence (AI) application and machine learning, which is APPs like Douyin(Tiktok) and Toutiao push news and videos to people “based on their interests”. The founder and CEO Zhang Yiming, who has announced to step down in late 2021, once emphasized that Toutiao was not a news application, but an AI one in the social media business. The innovative ideas can greatly increase the time consumers’ spent on the APPs as all content are tailored for them according to what they have browsed and liked previously. The more the users, the greater the database to generate a more accurate report for choosing which content to be delivered to an individual.

Although all statistic looks good for ByteDance as an IPO, it was denying the rumours of it going public in Apr 2021. With that being said, people still believes IPO is their ultimate target.

Key takeaways in class:

• Possible Reasons for ByteDance Founder Zhang Yiming Stepping Down

• Business Model of ByteDance from Douyin(Tiktok), Xigua Video and Toutiao

• The US-China Trade War

Finance Mandarin offers 1 on 1 and group Mandarin Coaching for Business Purposes with Finance Focus materials. Enrol 1 on 1 session anytime and anywhere. And Group class.

With Harvard-MBA approved case methodology.

Buy your ticket for ByteDance IPO Plan Q&A, over 1300 registration received on LinkedIn!

I can do self-study to learn Mandarin already, what is the point of joining Finance Mandarin?

“ I don’t have a teacher that gives me immediate responses.”

*Alexander Bryan, a C-suite English speaker working in the capital market, was frustrated when he first tried to study on his own.

Alex is highly motivated to learn Mandarin even before joining Finance Mandarin. He had tried studying by himself. But soon he acknowledged the drawbacks of it, he did not know whether he is doing right on the pronunciations and usages of the vocabularies. There is no one to correct his pronunciations. Besides, he can only learn a few words but they are not for business purposes!

The materials he accessed to was not designed for business purposes, not to mention learning the finance terms you will come across in your work. There is also no proper feedback for further explanations. There are usually no cultural aspects taught as well. While there are no interactions between teachers and students, no motivations and no comprehensive lesson plans, Alex finally made his choice:

Coming to 1 on 1 Finance Mandarin focused learning to prepare for his next business trips to Shanghai and Beijing soon.

For absolute beginners like Alex, there will be basic topics at the beginning at Finance Mandarin, and they are all customised. For Alex, we prepared some commonly used wordings in business greetings to start with, with content adjusted according to his position and company. We have been through a joyful lesson time indicated by positive feedback received afterwards!

 Resources online lack personalized content for executives. With that being said, Finance Mandarin provides all of them, including but not limited to business context, cultural aspects, interactions with top trainers, motivations and customised learning path. These are also the reasons why Alex come to us.

“Speaking the language helps my business in a foreign country”

Alex considered himself innovative and open-minded. He has been working in different countries and is willing to learn new things. As suggested by his past experience working in a foreign country, he believes learning the local language helps him better communicate with colleagues and clients in the country although English is the medium of communication. Not to say in China, most universities, local companies and press are using Chinese as the major language. 

“Very happy to start the work”

We are also happy to have received Alex’s positive feedback!

*Alias

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Finance Mandarin pursues FOUR Connected Strategies | WIN-WIN | Learn Chinese with the best | Business Mandarin Hong Kong

Business Models for Transforming Customer Relationships

With mobile and wearable devices, customers get an improved experience when successful firms have more frequent customised interactions with them.

Companies now can anticipate customer needs as they arise, or even before. So as Finance Mandarin:

1.     Respond to Desire

• Provides customers with services once they recognize what they need     

• Comprehensive SWOP analysis and consultation with Program Director @Vienne

• Finance Mandarin AI Learning Platform with 180,000 hours of financial materials to be accessed anywhere and anytime

2.     Curated Offering

• Presents customers with a set of personally tailored options that might interest them

• All Finance Mandarin courses are tailor to your needs.

• Ensure you get you job and promotion you deserve

• Finance Mandarin customise your learning path according to your preferred company, position and financial knowledge

3.     Coach Behaviour

• Encourages customers to achieve larger goals with lower costs effectively and efficiently

• Interactive classes and engaging tutors encourage students to speak up

• Designs learning path to keep up with the progress

4.     Automatic Execution

• Anticipates and meets the needs of customers even before they have become aware of those needs themselves 

• AI Learning Platform allows you to revise anywhere and anytime with clear KPI stated

• 15+ comprehensive courses tailored to your needs READY to book: www.financemandarin.com
  Some HOT topics🔥: Asset Management, IPOs, Private Equity

Finance Mandarin uses the combination of strategies to closely connected with you. We provide excellent learning experience and build long-lasting relationships with you.

You Learn, You Earn.

Harvard Business School 

Vienne Lee recommends connected strategy 

Finance Mandarin Connected Strategy: 

Connected Strategy: Building Continuous Customer Relationships for Competitive Advantage by Nicolaj Siggelkow and Christian Terwiesch

At Finance Mandarin: www.financemandarin.com

Bankers speak mandarin | Asset Managers Capture China Market | Prepare for Finance Jobs | Mock Job Interviews | China Market Success 

Connect is the Key | Bond Connect | China Market Focus

Vienne witnessed the power of the Bond Market and the opening up of the China capital market for the market makers.

Finance Mandarin has covered Bond Connect topics since its inception in 2017. 💰 💰 💰

Bond Connect is a breakthrough in China mutual market access, allowing investors from Mainland China and overseas to trade in each other's bond markets through a market infrastructure linkage in Hong Kong. Northbound trading commenced on 3 July 2017, offering China Interbank Bond Market (CIBM) access to a broader group of international investors, while Southbound trading will be explored at a later stage.


Finance Mandarin Debt Capital Markets Certificates:

https://www.financemandarin.com/course-fm012-debt-capital-markets

HK$599 per month to access 180,000 hours of digital content focusing on Finance Mandarin

+15 well-established curricula + customized courses READY to study at Finance Mandarin


Your Needs, We Listen.
Talk to Vienne Lee Finance Mandarin

You Learn, You Earn.

Follow Finance Mandarin for the latest financial news and China insights

6 Facts You Need To Learn About Xiaohongshu 小红书 | Learn Business Mandarin with Vienne Lee

Vienne Lee and Debbie Chen hosted a Xiaohongshu IPO LIVE event on 4 June 2021, 9.30 a.m. They discussed the key leaders of Xiaohongshu, explored its business model and challenges. At Finance Mandarin, we provide the latest market insights and case studies to help corporate leaders master the Mandarin language skills, to prepare for Mandarin communication with Chinese clients.

What is Xiaohongshu？

Xiaohongshu is an e-commerce （电商）and social media platform （社交平台）that allows users to share their product feedback and lifestyles. It has over 300 million users worldwide.

What is 种草？

种草 (seeding/grass plating) is a network term created on Xiaohongshu’s platform. It means to be influenced to purchase something. Hence, the consumer’s purchasing behavior is greatly influenced by KOLs and KOCs. This has created a large e-commerce and advertisement platform for Xiaohongshu.

By studying this case study, you will be able to:

✔️ Identify the listed capital of Xiaohongshu

✔️ Realize the investment from well-known institutions

✔️ Predict potential challenges

✔️ Analyze the competitiveness

Vienne has prepared 8 real case studies about Xiaohongshu. Learn more at Finance Mandarin.

Connect with Vienne Lee to book a course

Coaching Business Mandarin for Executive Leaders

You learn, you earn

“Hong Kong Bankers need to Speak Better Mandarin. That's Why they Come to me”

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“If an interviewer at a bank in Hong Kong wants to find out how well you speak Chinese, they won’t ask you ‘how good is your Mandarin?’”, says Vienne Lee, director of language coaching company Business Mandarin. “They’ll just ask a normal question like ‘can you compare Tencent and Alibaba’s business models?’ and see how well you respond in Mandarin.”

Since setting up her company in the late 1990s, Lee has tasked herself with improving the Mandarin skills of some of Hong Kong’s leading bankers at firms such as J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, HSBC, UBS, and BlackRock.

Over the past year, as Western banks have cut jobs in Hong Kong and Chinese firms have increased their hiring, Lee has seen an uptick in unemployed financial professionals seeking assistance with their job searches.

“We’re also working with more bankers who are on gardening leave or are setting up their own hedge funds or family offices,” she says. “We polish their Mandarin communication skills for the finance sector, and coach them about building networks and interviewing.”

But Mandarin isn’t only important when you’re looking for work. Lee, whose firm focuses on financial services and mainly takes on clients at the VP level and above, helps bankers perform better on the job.

“I recently had an Australian client who was able to complete an opening presentation to 170 people in Chinese – it went extremely well, with applause in all the right places,” she says. “If you can go from nothing to making a speech to a Chinese audience, it also shows your colleagues and clients that you’re committed to doing business in China.”

Western finance professionals operating in China and living in Hong Kong – whether they are complete beginners or already know some Mandarin – make up about 60% of Lee’s students.

Another 20% are Cantonese-speaking Hongkongers whose written Chinese is good but who want to polish their Mandarin pronunciation. “Thirdly, we teach overseas-born Chinese who speak a bit of basic Mandarin at home, but can’t cut it in the Chinese financial world so need help with terminology in areas like due diligence, modeling, and valuation.”

Whatever their background, most bankers find learning Mandarin challenging. “Sometimes they don’t have enough time for classes and revision. And there’s the sheer volume of financial terminology and the difficult tones and grammar,” says Lee.

Understanding the Chinese Business Culture

She also helps Westerners adjust to the different presentation styles they will encounter in China. “For example, they often think it’s necessary to make a joke at the start of a speech and play themselves down,” explains Lee.

“But in China, you need to show people you’re the boss – especially if you’re presenting to them for the first time – otherwise they won’t look up to you as a role model. When we’re coaching people, we show them speeches from Chinese business and political leaders,” she adds.

The growing importance of Mandarin

Lee says she always had a “passion” for the Chinese language. After organizing financial conferences in 1998 – soon after China assumed sovereignty over Hong Kong – she realized that Mandarin would become increasingly important to banking careers in her city.

“The conferences connected me to more than 1,000 people in the finance sector. And I saw a gap in the market: bankers wanted presentation, pitching, and interviewing skills in Mandarin that were tailored to the technical needs of their jobs,” she says. “To secure Chinese deals, you need to understand China – both its language and its culture.”

Coaching Business Mandarin for Executive Leaders

You learn, you earn

Laugh and Share | Lunch with Finance Mandarin Students

Vienne and two loyal fans students, Ning and Mireille had a great lunch in a gorgeous modern Chinese Restaurant (Duckee) in Lee Garden Causeway Bay today, 3 June 2021.

When women sit at a table, there are always sharing. The three experienced ladies, an educator, an M&A banker and an ex-equity sales head, discussed job markets in the capital market, from sell-side to buy-side, as an appetizer.

Moving to the main course, e-commerce in China is now on the rise. The power of it can never be neglected, in particular, annual active consumers of China's largest mobile commerce platform, Taobao, reached 674 million as of June 30, 2019. 

In light of that, Mireille and Vienne taught Ning how to use Taobao to buy a Mask, to witness the power of China e-commerce together. 

They also joked about opening a shop on WeChat, one of the biggest China e-commerce platform.

When it comes to dessert, the beauties love it. Taking about beauty and health, living a positive lifestyle from different perspectives. And also how to prevent the sun from burning while playing golf. I believe everyone would love to hear this; we all have our own little tips. 

With the soft lighting and the relaxing atmosphere, the ladies who were not supposed to eat sweet today, enjoyed their treats in laughter. 

Investor-backed Finance Mandarin ONLINE Education up 50% against the market crashes

Coronavirus reshaping the top-end executive coaching

At Finance Mandarin our clients’ learning outcomes are our number one priority — we will always go out of our way to ensure their satisfaction. In these difficult times brought upon the Covid-19 virus, we have not lost our dedication to providing excellent coaching; that is why we will continue providing our amazing service to our students despite the limitations caused by the global pandemic. 

In order to cope with the increasing demand from our clients, our COO John Ahern is leading the AI programmers to further incorporate cutting edge technologies such as data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to craft customized and enriched learning experiences.

The process begins through our meticulous learning assessment which can detail precisely how, why, and on what dimensions a student needs to focus on to succeed. Based on these assessments we can create a tailor-made curriculum that will match their requirements.  

Once we have identified our students’ strengths and weaknesses, Finance Mandarin will work with our high-end executive clients to create a curriculum that accommodates their busy schedules. Using our Finance Mandarin AI platform, our clients can log in from anywhere in the world.

Backed by five key performing indicators (KPIs), the Finance Mandarin platform is unlike any other online learning experience.  Finance Mandarin full-time trainers host live-streaming classes that are informed by personalized data to show each students’ performance profile, complete with challenges and focus areas.

We are incredibly grateful to all our clients as they make their transition from their face-to-face/ online hybrid lessons to solely conducting classes online. There will always be a place for our amazing face-to-face coaching as things settle down, but the emergency caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic has solidified the importance of online learning. As people’s schedules rapidly change and they become more fluid with their demands, learning will have to evolve.

The future is unknown, but we at Finance Mandarin are eager to incorporate new educational technologies as they develop. As always, we strive to create a product that meets all our clients’ needs. 

To learn more about our courses visit us at financemandarin.com. 

About Finance Mandarin

Finance Mandarin is an AI+Education company. We are the trusted communication advisors to the world's leading businesses, governments, and institutions.

We work with leading organizations across the private, public and social sectors at which they have connections with China.

Our scale, scope, and knowledge allow us to address problems that no one else can. We have deep functional and industry expertise as well as the breadth of geographical reach.

The expert for learning Chinese for Business Purpose: AI+FinTech + IPO +M&A

Contact Vienne Lee for course review.

Website: www.FinanceMandarin.com

Email: VienneLee@FinanceMandarin.com