CM1 GROUP at the 2025 Peking University Global Finance Forum (Singapore)

On 19–20 September 2025, the 2025 Peking University Global Finance Forum — hosted by the Peking University Alumni Association and organised by the Union of Finance Alumni of Peking University, the PKU Alumni Association (Singapore), and the Peking University International S&T Innovation Center at Lin-gang, Shanghai — was held at Singapore’s historic Capitol Theatre. It marked the first time the forum had been staged overseas. Run alongside the third “Nanyang Peking University Alumni” event, it drew nearly 400 PKU finance alumni, Nanyang alumni and friends from government, business, academia and finance for an in-depth exchange on the theme “Globalization & the AI Era.”

CM1 GROUP took part in the forum in depth: Senior Manager Li Cixian of the Corporate Division joined the wealth-management roundtable, and the firm was recognised on stage as a forum sponsor.

A first for Singapore: the forum goes overseas

The main forum opened with Hai Wen — Vice Chair of PKU’s University Council, founding Dean of PKU HSBC Business School, and founding President of the Union of Finance Alumni — on “China’s Economic Development: Challenges and Prospects.” Ma Qing, Asia-Pacific Chief Representative and Head of China Research at the Institute of International Finance (IIF), spoke on China’s globalization in a de-globalizing world; Lu Ting, Chief Economist at Nomura and a Vice President of the Union of Finance Alumni, presented “Dividends and Challenges: Rethinking China’s Economy in a Bull Market.” Lei Ming, founder of Wisdom Cornerstone Capital and honorary director of PKU’s AI Innovation Center, addressed “AI and Finance: An Age of Disruptive Change”; Gong Fangxiong, Chairman of Hengfeng Asset Management, reflected on the shift from traditional to new finance; and Gu Qingyang, Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS), spoke on global megatrends and corporate internationalisation. A Singapore Senior Minister of State also attended and delivered remarks.

Three thematic sub-forums ran in parallel — on fintech and innovation in the AI era, Asia-Pacific real estate and wealth management, and the fusion of technological and industrial innovation. In the AI-era fintech session, Bai Shuo (Chief Scientist, Hundsun Technologies), Yan Shuicheng (Distinguished Professor, NUS School of Computing), Liao Kanxi (Partner, Han Kun Law Offices), Cheng Jin (CFO, Canaan Inc.) and Chung Wai-keung (CEO, Trio AI) discussed large-model applications in finance, the path to AGI, and digital-asset regulation.

CM1 GROUP on the roundtable: global asset allocation

In the wealth-management roundtable, Yang Zhengling (Chief Investment Officer for North Asia, DBS Bank), Yuan Shuo (Co-CIO & Managing Partner, Dymon Asia), Su Xiaofan (Partner & CIO, Yarun Investment) and Zhou Lin (Partner, Han Kun Law Offices) were joined on stage by Li Cixian, Senior Manager of CM1 GROUP’s Corporate Division. The panel ranged across global investment positioning, opportunities in the Hong Kong market, cross-border fund design, Singapore family-office structures and current market themes.

Drawing on CM1 GROUP’s frontline experience in cross-border investment and corporate internationalisation, Li Cixian spoke to Singapore’s distinctive strengths as an Asian wealth-management hub and the practical considerations for high-net-worth families establishing a family office there.

Singapore family offices: wealth management and succession

In recent years, Singapore’s mature financial system, stable legal environment and well-developed tax regime have made it a leading wealth-management hub in Asia, drawing many high-net-worth families to set up family offices. In practice, the value of a family-office structure tends to show up across several dimensions:

• Consolidated stewardship of family wealth — bringing together assets spread across countries and asset classes (listed equities, private equity, real estate, alternatives) under unified management and risk control.
• Professional investment operations — dedicated teams or external advisers handling asset allocation, portfolio management and research, lifting efficiency and reducing the risks of ad-hoc investing.
• Coordinated structuring and tax planning — using a single-family-office entity or a multi-tier structure, together with tools such as trusts, to support cross-border capital flows and compliant management; Singapore’s family-office tax-incentive schemes further enhance the appeal.
• Flexible structure design — private companies, trusts, foundations or limited partnerships, tailored to a family’s assets and governance needs.

A family office is more than a wealth-management vehicle; it is a platform for long-term succession. Trusts or family foundations allow assets to pass cleanly across generations, avoiding the disorder of fragmented inheritance; regular family councils or investment committees carry an education and governance role, building the next generation’s capabilities; thoughtful structuring isolates family assets from personal and business risk; and philanthropy and social investment can be integrated so that succession carries social impact as well.

Headquartered in Singapore, CM1 GROUP regularly helps companies and high-net-worth families with cross-border structuring and the practical steps of going global, coordinating with licensed professional firms on the related legal and tax arrangements.

Welcome dinner and sponsor recognition

On the evening of 18 September, a welcome dinner was held. Cao Zhongming, China’s Ambassador to Singapore, and Ye Jingyi, Vice Chair of PKU’s University Council and Standing Vice President of its Alumni Association, each delivered remarks, with Gao Shanwen, President of the Union of Finance Alumni, addressing guests by video. The dinner was hosted by figures including Yu Lan, President of the PKU Alumni Association (Singapore) and a partner at Han Kun Law Offices (Singapore).

During the sponsor-recognition segment, the organisers presented plaques to the forum’s sponsoring institutions, and CM1 GROUP was among those recognised as a forum sponsor. The forum also featured the Union of Finance Alumni’s 2025 annual awards and an appreciation dinner at LeVeL33.

Deepening our Southeast Asia footprint

The forum reaffirmed CM1 GROUP’s strategic commitment to Southeast Asia. Building on its experience in cross-border investment and financing, compliance advisory and corporate-internationalisation services, CM1 GROUP will continue to empower outbound enterprises — from capital support to compliance guidance, from regional landing to long-term strategy — offering systematic support to internationalising companies across Southeast Asia and beyond, and bridging alumni networks with international markets.

Event details

Dates

19–20 September 2025

Venue

Capitol Theatre, Singapore

Theme

Globalization & the AI Era

Host

Peking University Alumni Association (organised by the Union of Finance Alumni & PKU Alumni Association, Singapore)

CM1’s role

Roundtable panellist · forum sponsor

Roundtable panel

• Li CixianCM1

  Senior Manager, Corporate Division, CM1 GROUP

• Yang Zhengling

  Chief Investment Officer, North Asia, DBS Bank

• Yuan Shuo

  Co-CIO & Managing Partner, Dymon Asia

• Su Xiaofan

  Partner & CIO, Yarun Investment

• Zhou Lin

  Partner, Han Kun Law Offices