The Institute of Global Economics and Finance (IGEF) was established in January 2010 with an aim to contribute conceptual and policy ideas to the opening up of China's financial system. Drawing on the educational and research strengths and resources of the Department of Economics and the Faculty of Business Administration of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the Institute hopes to make contributions to the modernization of China's monetary and financial systems by contributing new ways of thinking, making policy recommendations and pointing out new paths for liberalization. The Institute comprises renowned economic scholars and policy experts, including Professor Lawrence J. Lau; Professor Joseph Yam; Professor Sir James Mirrlees and Professor Robert A. Mundell, both Distinguished Professors-at-Large and Nobel Laureates in Economic Sciences; Professor Sung Yun-wing, Chairman, Department of Economics; Professor Liu Pak Wai, Professor of Economics; Professor Leslie Young, Professor of Finance; and Professor Terence Chong, Associate Professor, Department of Economics.

Through research, IGEF will contribute conceptual and policy ideas to the opening up of China's post-financial-crisis financial system. The Institute will also offer executive education programmes to enhance the knowledge and expertise of participants in new developments and ideas in global finance and banking that are essential to China's opening up. Covering a wide range of topics highly relevant to new developments in global economics and finance, as well as important recurrent themes, such as the emergence of the Renminbi as an international currency and international best practices in corporate governance, the programmes target high-level professionals and executives from the banking, insurance, brokerage sectors as well as regulatory commissions and government agencies on the Mainland, in Hong Kong and overseas. Renowned scholars and policy-makers will also be invited to give lectures.

CUHK has a long history of taking initiatives to build bridges between China and the West. Founded in 1963 with the mission 'to combine tradition with modernity; to bring together China and the West', the University is consistently ranked among Asia's best institutions by international surveys of research output in economics and finance, which was identified as one of its five focused areas of research. The University is experienced and well-positioned to play an active role in contributing to a new phase of development in the Chinese financial system.