The Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management (APAEM) of the University of Macau aims to promote interdisciplinary research that is impactful and relevant to the socio-economic development of Macao and the Greater Bay Area.
Specifically, APAEM’s research focus will be concentrated in four major areas:
Financial Econometrics is about developing quantitative methodologies and applying them to advance understanding of phenomina in dynamic and complex financial and economic systems. Macao’s unique social-economic position, particularly its strengths in tourism, gaming and finance sectors, provides access to timely large-scale dynamic datasets, and stimulates opportunities for novel quantitative research, which offers crucial new insights into key issues in finance and economics such as risk management, investments, forecasting and policy evaluation.
Financial Innovation, broadly speaking, is the process of creating new financial products and services, often including the use of new financial technologies (FinTech), such as AI, Blockchain and Security, Big Data, Cloud Computing, and even Internet of Things (IoT) .
A core research area of APAEM, financial innovation is one of the crucial elements in diversifying Macao’s economy and in strengthening Macao’s ability to assume the role of One Platform in support of trade and investment between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. In view of the expanded cooperation, there is considerable need for innovative financial mechanisms and platforms to facilitate inbound and outbound capital flows, such as investment and funding as well as other related initiatives.
Furthermore, the advent of financial and trade integration of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) calls for greater innovation in financial services and even policies, especially in supporting the creation of a second Macao in Hengqin. Macao will play an important role in the cross-border financial collaboration and in the construction of a green financial system. Also, Macao is planning a RMB-denominated Stock Exchange, in which it will be a very important milestone in showing such determination. To meet these challenges, Macao and the GBA must embrace innovative thinking and new technologies to be able to forge new paths in financial connectivity and wealth management.
In 2024, Macao’s GDP per capita is expected to exceed US$78,000. Adjusting for purchasing power, it will be over US$125,000, making it one of the richest economies in the world. The Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management (APAEM) is particularly interested in research on economic policies that affect Macao and related economies, such as China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Given that tourism is the backbone of Macao’s economy, tourism economics will be one of the focuses of APAEM. Additionally, the focuses of APEAM include Macao’s economic relation to China and the role of Macao in cooperation in innovation and technology with other Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities.
Smart Tourism is a buzzword that people often hear or read about these days. How is it relevant to Macao? Macao has successfully positioned itself over the last two decades as a popular tourist destination at an international level, contributing to the robust economic growth of the city itself. To maintain this momentum, the adoption of smart tourism can form the basis for innovating the tourism industry, improving service quality, and providing memorable experiences for tourists.
Smart tourism technologies can enhance effectiveness and efficiency on three levels: the destination level where the government sets the overall tourism strategy; the firm level where the tourism and related industries provide services; and the individual level where the tourists experience what the destination has to offer.