Academy of Internet Finance (AIF)

Academy of Internet Finance, Zhejiang University (AIF), is the first and broadest, interdisciplinary research institute of its kind in China. AIF boasts the unrivaled connectivity with industry and government authorities, as it serves as the founding presidency of Zhejiang Association of Internet Finance, alongside Ant Financial, a global FinTech leader.

Since its inception in 2015, AIF has taken a global perspective with its academic boards as among the most international of its kind with members hailing from leading institutions in China and abroad. AIF has established a number of research hubs which focus on Internet finance from a variety of perspectives, promoting inter-disciplinary studies, including its Center for Internet Finance & Development, Center for Internet Finance Law, Center for Internet & Financial Innovation, Center for E-commerce and Mathematical Finance, Center for Internet Finance Technology as well as specialized labs such as Blockchain Labs, Marketplace Lending Lab, Pension Lab International, Global Finance Lab and Entrepreneurial Finance Lab.

In addition to its home base in Hangzhou, AIF now has established presence in Beijing, Shanghai, London，Silicon Valley，Chengdu and Guiyang with new offices planned in Singapore, Boston and Shenzhen. AIF is also the main founder of Global FinTech Research Network, a consortium of like-minded research professionals from around the world.

On November 15, 2018, in the Asia Pacific FinTech Landscape Symposium Inauguration of International Business School, Zhejiang University, Global FinTech Lab, ZIBS & AIF, Zhejiang University and Pension Lab International officially launched.

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Global FinTech Lab

The Global FinTech Lab is established combining the strength and joint efforts of Academy of Internet Finance (AIF) and International Business School (ZIBS), Zhejiang University. Internally, the establishment of Global FinTech Lab intends to facilitate closer collaboration between AIF and ZIBS, integrate their resources so as to magnify their synergy. Externally, it aims to build a platform for AIF and ZIBS's collaboration in high-impact research activities, knowledge sharing, and capacity building with academic institutions, policymakers, regulators, and commercial partners across the globe.

The lab serves as an interface for information exchanges and knowledge sharing across all the research units in AIF and functions as the main portal of initial contact and communication with potential foreign partners and it maintains the partnerships with foreign stakeholders and explore new opportunities for collaboration on a continual basis. More importantly, with the International Business School, Zhejiang University (ZBIS) as a founding partner, Global FinTech Lab offers unique access to academic resources, strength and opportunities of both AIF and ZIBS, and possibly their collaborators in China and globally.

The Chinese name of Global FinTech Lab "观智" combines the Chinese characters "观" and "智". "观" can normally be interpreted as "to observe and encounter" while in the context of Buddhism, this is a word of infinite profoundness and depth, which is, to observe with mindfulness and true wisdom. We intend to embed the forward- looking, dynamic and insightful indication of this character into the positioning of the newly founded lab. Meanwhile, the second character "智" refers to "smart" and "intelligence" to signify the ever-increasing importance of smart technologies such as artificial intelligence and their application in all areas of life especially in the arena of FinTech or Internet Finance. The integration of "观" and "智" actually states our mission to propel the growth of AIF into a strategically globalized, forward-looking think tank focusing on cutting-edge development of technologies and their revolutionary impacts on the way finance and economies function.

Pension Lab International

Pension Lab International (PLI) is a research-oriented network of domestic and international stakeholders who are affiliated with, and active in, the pension and retirement industry, that wants to establish a relevant (physical and virtual) community on basis of an international network of researchers, economists, and profession.

PLI conducts academic study and policy research (for influential policy advice and industry consulting). Partners and members of the Lab engage in fundamental and empirical research, as well as applied (contract and policy) research. There are three functional areas within PLI:

The aim of PLI's research efforts is to develop in-depth academic knowledge on the pension system within an international and Chinese context in order to further deepen the knowledge of relevant stakeholders within that system.

Pension Lab International targets several relevant domestic and international stakeholders who may have a direct or indirect link to the pension system in China and hence could benefit from the Lab's research. These may include pension organizations, financial institutions, government institutions, policy makers and regulators, knowledge institutions, etc.