Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics at SMU

[EVENT] Every year, the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) hosts its Annual Conference, bringing together leading speakers and panellists from across academia and industry. Now in its 15th edition, this year’s Conference will focus on SKBI’s “Market Innovations and FinTech” pillar and is jointly organised with SMU’s School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS). Led by Prof Hong Zhang (SKBI) and Prof Feida Zhu (SCIS), this collaboration builds on earlier joint efforts such as SKBI's participation in SCIS Industry Day 2025 and also reflects SMU’s commitment to cross-disciplinary research and innovation.

SKBI proudly helms Day 1 of the inaugural SMU Web3 Week, kicking off the week-long series of presentations, talks, forums, and networking opportunities exploring the intersections of AI, finance, computer science, and art.

View the programme >> https://smu.sg/skbi-web3
Register here >> https://smu.sg/hk2y

[EVENT] Last chance to join the 12th NTHU-UNSW-SMU Symposium on Sustainable Finance and Economics which features Nobel Laureate, Philippe Aghion as keynote speaker. Aghion was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his joint work with Peter Howitt in transforming the notion of creative destruction into a rigorous analytical framework that explains how innovation drives sustained economic growth.

🗓️⏰: Friday (21 Nov), keynote at 4pm
📍: Zoom
Sign up here>>https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KPUook0NTKK0-8yugOpe-w

[NEWSLETTER] In a recent interview, our AB member, Dr. Jeffrey Jaensubhakij shared his insights on the interplay between intuitive, experience-based judgment and standard (model-based) decision-making from an asset management perspective. Read more here >> https://skbi.smu.edu.sg/research/newsletter/nov-2025

[JOB OPENING] We are hiring an Assistant Manager to help drive one of SKBI's initiatives. If you’re passionate about empowering young adults, this is your chance to make a lasting impact. Applications close on 7 Dec 2025. Find out more or apply here >> https://skbi.smu.edu.sg/about-skbi/job-openings

[NEWSLETTER] Environmental policies are among the most important drivers of the green transition. However, could policymaking itself be subject to the common decision-making pitfalls (i.e., behavioural biases) of individuals, and if so, what could be the impact? A recent SMU study sheds light on the behavioural foundation of policymaking by investigating how China’s environmental subsidies affect firms’ green R&D.

Read the full newsletter here >> https://skbi.smu.edu.sg/research/newsletter/nov-2025

[RESEARCH] In this month’s newsletter, an academic and an industry expert unpack how policy uncertainties influence investment decisions. Mengyu Wang (SKBI) examines how China’s environmental subsidies impact firms’ green R&D, in her latest research published in the Journal of Financial Economics. Jeffrey Jaensubhakij (GIC) offers insights from his decades of investment experience, reflecting on how uncertainty poses challenges in strategic decision-making.

Read the full newsletter here>>https://skbi.smu.edu.sg/research/newsletter/nov-2025

[EVENT] Join us on 21 November for the final instalment of this year’s NTHU-UNSW-SMU Symposium on Sustainable Finance and Economics, featuring Nobel Laureate Philippe Aghion (Collège de France & LSE) as keynote speaker. Professor Aghion was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his joint work with Peter Howitt, which transformed the concept of creative destruction into a rigorous framework explaining how innovation drives sustained economic growth. Register here >> https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/y8sOKjvtTiaBHKZuCziiFw #/registration

About the symposium:
Launched in 2022 by Professor Po-Hsuan Hsu of National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), the NTHU-UNSW-SMU Symposium on Sustainable Finance and Economics has since evolved into a collaboration with Elvira Sojli and Wing Wah Tham from the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), and Hao Liang and Hong Zhang from Singapore Management University (SMU). The symposium is held online every quarter featuring 4-6 research presentations and a keynote address by a world-renowned scholar in the field.

[EVENT] This year’s edition of the Ho Bee Professorship in Sustainability Luminary Speaker Series features Sungho Park, CEO of Reable, a climate-tech company specialising in -driven energy optimisation. With over two decades of experience in sustainable real estate and smart energy systems, Sungho will share how artificial intelligence can help accelerate -neutral development and shape the cities of the future.

The discussion, moderated by Ho Bee Professorship in Sustainability Management & Associate Professor of Finance, Hao Liang, will explore the practical implications of AI-driven innovations in , addressing questions from both students and industry partners. This interactive segment aims to bridge the gap between academic concepts and real-world challenges, ensuring the conversation remains relevant and engaging for all attendees.

Happening on 13 November, 9:30am at SMU's Mochtar Riady Auditorium. Register here to join >> https://lnkd.in/gXhcezq4

This lecture is organised by the Lee Kong Chian School of Business.

[NEWS] According to the latest results of the Singapore Index of Inflation Expectations (SINDEX) Survey, consumers expect to hit 4-year low. Despite uncertainties, local consumers generally believe that prices across major sectors will ease in the coming year.

Read the full results of the survey here >> https://bit.ly/47BWpkC

[NEWSLETTER] In a recent interview, Dr. Jeffrey Jaensubhakij shared his insights on the interplay between intuitive, experience-based judgment and standard (model-based) decision-making from an asset management perspective.

Read the full newsletter >> https://bit.ly/48BcVCz

[NEWSLETTER] Personal experience serves as a crucial source of our knowledge and intuition. But is experience always reliable? Does it teach us wisdom or lead us astray?

A recent study conducted by SMU explores this question by examining how loan officers’ personal economic experiences in the local real estate market influence their ability to set loan spreads for corporate borrowers.

Read the full newsletter here >>https://bit.ly/4oh3xbN

[EVENT] Over the past two days, the Singapore Green Finance Centre held the Biodiversity & Finance Workshop, providing a platform for academics and experts in finance and ecology in Singapore to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue on integrating ecological complexity into financial analysis and economic decision-making.

Day 1’s keynote address was chaired by SKBI Director, Professor Hong Zhang and featured Professor Franklin Allen, Professor of Finance and Economics and Executive Director of the Brevan Howard Centre at Imperial College London.

Speaking on the intersection of and , he highlighted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework as biodiversity’s equivalent of the Paris Agreement, noting global commitments to restore 30% of ecosystems by 2030.

He proposed debt-for-nature swaps and regulatory mandates as key tools, citing the Galápagos Blue Bond as a model, and regulatory regimes such as the UK’s requirement for developers to deliver a net biodiversity gain (e.g. 110% of baseline) as essential complements to financial innovation.

He warned, however, that many governments are financially constrained and politically divided on biodiversity funding and goals. On the other hand, private finance operates with greater flexibility and innovation potential in driving conservation outcomes.

In a report on the state of biodiversity markets conducted in May–June 2024, Pollination (2024) recorded that voluntary biodiversity credits have accounted for only USD 325,000 to USD 1.87 million in cumulative sales, underscoring how nascent and underdeveloped this market still is.

Professor Allen acknowledged that biodiversity markets face scale and liquidity constraints due to the heterogeneity of species, genetics, and ecosystems, arguing that institutional models, rather than open markets, may offer a more viable path forward.

In closing, Professor Allen stressed that public budgets alone cannot meet the scale of biodiversity needs, making private capital indispensable. He called for creativity and collaboration in developing impact investments, biodiversity-linked securities, blended finance, and other innovative mechanisms that enable finance not just to support conservation, but to drive it.