The grand finale of the 2024 "Navigator" Investment Banking Equity M&A Financing Skills Competition, spearheaded by Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), concluded  in Hefei on November 8-9. The International Institute of Finance (IIF) and its Research Center for Integration of Industry, Education, Employment, and Entrepreneurship leveraged their platform resources, data-driven finance capabilities, and talent development expertise to provide strategic support for the event. ABC President Wang Zhiheng delivered the opening address, with IIF Dean Ye Qiang – who concurrently serves as Executive Dean of the School of Management and the School of Technology Business – attending the ceremony. IIF Vice Dean Weng Qingxiong participated as a competition judge.

The competition directly supported national policy objectives to revitalize capital markets, bolster venture capital ecosystems, and optimize mergers and acquisitions frameworks. By advancing the development of new quality productive forces, the event served as a catalyst for cultivating professional investment banking talent. Prior to the finals, ABC experts conducted extensive consultations with IIF leadership to refine competition mechanisms and ensure operational excellence.

Throughout 2024, IIF has intensified its strategic focus on financial innovation through three interconnected initiatives: enhancing fintech-driven service capabilities, deepening institutional collaboration with ABC and regional financial headquarters via management-academia integration, and implementing the Tech Business School’s pioneering "T-shaped talent" development model that combines financial expertise with technological fluency. Looking ahead, IIF will prioritize quantifiable impacts in empowering real-economy sectors through financial instruments, solidifying its role as a key enabler of regional high-quality development.