In the morning of December 9, 2020, 50 PhD CityU students from the Institute of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (IROPC) and the Faculty of Business (FOB), led by Professor Francisco Leandro, Assistant Dean of the (IROPC), visited the Banco Nacional Ultramarino Macau (BNU). The group was personally welcomed and greeted by the Bank’s President Dr. Carlos Alvares. During the visit, we were briefed on the history of the bank, its related business, and emphasized the important role of BNU in the development of the financial sector between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. A particular emphasis was given to the positioning of the BNU in the context of the development strategy in the Greater Bay Area.

In the course of a 2-hour session, students were very active in asking questions and it was informed by their host that Macau will play an important role in the reform of the internationalization of the RMB and that BNU is very much eager to participate first hand in its development. Furthermore, last year China successfully issued 2 billion yuan of national bonds in Macau and it is expected that more bonds will be issued, especially from companies in the Greater Bay Area.

All students and teachers were gifted with the New Year’s notebook with the bank logo as well as reusable masks with filters. In return Professor Leandro presented a gift to the bank on behalf of the Institute. For people with interest in stock trading, there are good news: BNU has a mobile APP platform where US and HK stocks as well as mainland A shares (Shanghai and Shenzhen) can be traded directly by all BNU account holders.