The summer session of the 10th Financial CIO Forum was co-organized by the National Chengchi University Global Research and Industry Alliance (NCCU GLORIA) and the CIO IT Manager Magazine. Information technology has innate advantages in FinTech and has facilitated the rapid development of FinTech in recent years. By inviting experienced practitioners and experts to conduct industrial and academic exchanges at the Financial CIO forum, it is hoped that the ideas for future development of FinTech in Taiwan can be inspired and studied.     Lin Zhi-ji, Deputy Director of the Insurance Bureau of the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) delivered his remarks. He pointed out that, despite the tremendous impact brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last six months, it has been an opportunity for FinTech. Service providers have launched an increasing number of convenient FinTech services, and the public has become increasingly receptive towards these virtual services. He pointed out that, while continuing to provide oversight on relevant regulations, the FSC will also encourage service providers to offer novel financial services. The first seminar lecture of the event was given by Wang Lee-ling, director of the NCCU FinTech Research Center, who presented on the challenges and the new blue ocean brought by the innovations of open finance. In order to accelerate the industrial innovation of FinTech, NCCU GLORIA is committed to developing policies and platforms by drawing on successful international cases. Two years ago, NCCU started promoting open banking in collaboration with Financial Information Service Co. (FISC), guiding third-party service providers (TSP) in their collaborations with financial institutions. Although many cruxes of both banks and TSPs were found during the process, Director Wang believes that past examples and experiences in open banking in other countries can help accelerate the domestic progress.     The second seminar lecture was presented by Peng Jin-lung, Executive Director of the NCCU InsurTech Application Lab, who analyzed the choice between a regulatory sandbox and trial operation. The development of FinTech is driven by market demand, and it requires active engagement from non-financial service providers to produce the maximum effect within the shortest period of time. On the other hand, innovation doesn’t come without risks, including potential dangers in technology outsourcing, information security-related operations, emerging systems, underlying risk for financial consumption by customers of inclusive finance; the collapse of traditional financial businesses, dysfunctions in technology supervision, and damaged reputation of supervision. Such risks must be avoided by regulatory sandboxes or trial operations. Executive Director Peng pointed out that, in addition to understanding the operating models of innovative technologies and seeking a balance between the risks and benefits of innovation, the focuses of FinTech supervision must also carefully adjust the existing framework of prudential supervision, behavioral supervision and actively collaborating with stakeholders. Lastly, as Executive Director Peng concludes, trial operation has the advantage of greater freedom and a better opportunity to truly promote FinTech.     Chen Kung, Deputy Director of the NCCU FinTech Research Center was the next speaker. He opened his lecture by introducing the five characteristics of blockchains: 1. distributed shared ledger; 2. arbitrary changes to content are prevented; 3. transaction security; 4. tokenized value exchange; and 5. decentralized management. The slogan of blockchains used to be “information network.” Now it's the “Internet of value.” Deputy Director Chen went on to explain two industrial applications of the blockchain in Taiwan in detail. The first was electronic medical records (EMR); the other was confirmations in audits. Deputy Director Chen concluded on the common characteristics of financial confirmation and EMRs as follows: 1. transaction records are chained; 2. data certificates are chained; 3. data is stored and transmitted in a distributed manner. In general, blockchains are expected to be implemented, albeit in separate stages. Currently the focus is on blockchain-inspired applications, such as verifiable data exchanges. In the future, tokenization and decentralization will become more mainstream and complex topics and challenges of blockchains.       In response to Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) and the development of crypto-assets, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) defined “crypto-assets” as private assets that utilize cryptography and distributed ledger technology (DLT) or other similar technologies to recognize their value. The fourth seminar lecture was presented by Li Zhen-hua, Senior Industrial Analyst of the Digital Transformation Institute (DTI) under the Institute for Information Industry (III), who further explained the three current methods of applying crypto-assets: 1. as currency; 2. as a certificate for services provided; and 3. as a certificate of stocks/bonds. Analyst Li mentioned that in recent years, the cryptocurrency economy has apparently taken off. Signs of this trend include the continuous growth in the scale of stable coins, the high-profile participation of social media software, many governments’ expressions of willingness to develop security token offerings (STO), and the Central Bank’s public discussions of the digitization of fiat money. However, people in various sectors are still skeptical of crypto-assets, and the development of its market is still in need of approval from regulations, the public, and traditional financial businesses. The cryptocurrency market is currently limited due to disorganized polices, high investment and entry barriers, and poor market liquidity, and must confront technical problems such as consensus and encryption algorithms. Nevertheless, Analyst Li still holds an optimistic outlook and believes that the cryptocurrency market will have better prospects in the future, such as their applicability in a variety of scenarios, the integration of blockchain technology, and cross-border circulation. It is hoped that the full regulatory compliance of the cryptocurrency market can be jointly promoted by the service providers and competent authorities.     The finale of the forum was presented by Hsieh Ming-hua, Deputy Director of the NCCU Fintech Research Center. He started his speech off by asking in what ways do disruptive innovations reshape industries. He guided the attendees to reflect on the industrial transformations brought by technologies such as the Internet, smartphones, artificial intelligence, and blockchains, and went on to further explain why there is such a strong push for FinTech to develop digital transformation. According to PwC’s FinTech survey report for 2019, the boundaries between financial services, the telecommunications industry, the technology industry, and the media industry are fading. The question we all ask about FinTech has changed from whether FinTech will transform the financial industry to who can become an industry leader by suitably utilizing FinTech. Deputy Director Hsieh went on to point out that the core technologies of the digital transformation of finance, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, information science, blockchains, chatbots, and the basic framework of information technologies, are crucial to implementing FinTech.     The event, which was filled to capacity, thus drew to a perfect close. During the free discussion section, questions for the speakers were raised and exchanges among companies were conducted continually. Through the Financial CIO Forum, the hottest FinTech topics were discussed, thus achieving the exchange of knowledge in the financial industry. In the future, NCCU GLORIA will continue to act as a platform for professional consultations and guidance for the financial industry in Taiwan, hoping that in doing so, it creates a mutually beneficial finance ecosystem. ▲Wang Lee-ling, Director of NCCU FinTech Research Center, speaking on the challenges and the new blue ocean in the innovation of open finance ▲Peng Jin-lung, Executive Director of NCCU InsurTech Application Lab, analyzing innovative FinTech ▲Lin Zhen-hui, General Editor of CIO IT Manager Magazine, giving a book as gift to Wang Lee-ling, Director of NCCU FinTech Research Center

     The development of digital finance has been greatly accelerated in 2020 with the onset of COVID-19. In September of this year, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) announced their "Capital Market Road Map", which included 5 major strategies that serve as a response to the changing capital market, the embracing of digital technology, and Taiwan's aging society. As financial technology continues to develop, Taiwan's capital market and asset management should be diversified, the distribution market needs to be strengthened, and the undergoing digital transformation should be optimized. In view of this and under the guidance of the Ministry of Science and Technology Global Research and Industry Alliance (MOST GLORIA), the National Chengchi University Global Research and Industry Alliance (NCCU GLORIA), the Operation Center of Industry-Academia Cooperation and Innovation-Incubation, and the FinTech Research Center worked together with Business Weekly to host a policy symposium on "Taiwan's Securities Market and Asset Management Industry: Policy Development, New Applications, and New Opportunities". The symposium invited four leaders of industry: Chairman of Grand Fortune Securities Huo-Deng Lin, Secretary-General of Taiwan Securities Association Hong-Ming Jian, CEO of Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation (TDCC) Han-Qiang Chu, and CEO of Capital Securities Corp. Chung-Tao Chia. Together, these speakers analyzed fresh innovative opportunities within the securities market and asset management, enhanced the digital transformation of the financial industry, and discussed how to collaborate with new technological startups. They also gave feedback on relevant government policies and practical services and analyzed innovative transformation strategies. Finally, they called for loosening up the regulatory environment so as to increase the international competitiveness of Taiwan's capital market.         The COO of NCCU FinTech Research Center Lee-Ling Wang served as the symposium moderator. According to Wang, when it comes to financial technology, innovation within the securities industry should be much faster than that of the banking and insurance industry. This is especially true in the face of the continuous innovation of global financial products, and doing so will make Taiwan’s security market more competitive in an international setting.        Building on Wang's point, Chairman Lin expressed that many of Taiwan's companies are lacking in volume of their stocks and that the capital market is shrinking. He hopes that the government can provide SMEs with strategies and funds. Not only will this help resolve the "Peter Pan" problem with Taiwan's stock market, but can also up the ratio of direct finance within Taiwan. Nowadays, most people are concerned with how the financial services will cope in a post-epidemic world. In response to these concerns, Secretary General Jian stated his belief that services should be uninterrupted and that front, middle, and back-end services need to be fully digital and integrated. While focusing on service innovation and optimization, the securities market must also innovate and diversity their products so as to increase their competitiveness.         In the face of a rapidly changing market, the TDCC has been actively promoting digital transformation within the financial industry. CEO Chu pointed out that the TDCC have defined their role as a "Financial Big Data Center", introducing advanced technology to conduct information integration in order to draw out the maximum value from their data application. The TDCC is working together with the market to create a situation where all parties benefit, and financial inclusion is achieved. CEO Chia addressed the issue of handling fees by stating his belief that the era of profiting through handling fees is coming to an end. Capital Securities Corp is deeply invested in digital transformation as a domestic investor in start-ups. Chia hopes to create a blockchain structure and a rapid asset transformation ecosystem through innovation, future product diversification, and more TSP operators.   "Open up the data so that open banking can become more valuable. With the help of technology, future financial services are more promising than ever." said Wang. When it comes to Taiwan's financial future, people are expecting the capital market to be more flexible a new, mutually prosperous financial ecosystem to be created.    

  Optical Component Technology Development Committee is composed of various well-known domestic optoelectronic industries. Optical Component Technology Development Committee hold the intercommunication conference regularly with domestic famous university. And, this year it hold the international conference with National Chung Hsing University Global Research & Industry Alliance on 3rd, July, 2020. Today’s conference event was hosted by NCHU Global Research & Industry Alliance with the more than 17 optical component company members participant. And, the NCHU Vice President, Mr. Jyh-Horngand Chou, and the Chairman of the Optical Component Technology Development Committee, Mr. Jinzhao Li, were invited to give the opening address. The NCHU Vice President, Mr. Jyh-Horngand Chou, mentioned that NCHU is the oldest research-oriented comprehensive university in Taiwan. Lots of optical-related manufacturers are located in the central region of Taiwan. In the optical field, the power of campus R&D grows greatly and rapidly. Through this exchange event, we NCHU wish the attendee members would inspire more industry-university cooperation and contributions with campus professors and their excellent teams to Taiwan’s optical-related industries. On behalf of the member manufacturers, the Chairman of Jinzhao Li expressed his gratitude to NCHU for this intercommunication conference. Moreover, He encouraged the member manufacturers to have more exchange and cooperation with NCHU professors and research teams through mutual resources to develop more innovative technologies and benefit the convenience of human life.     After the opening address, the NCHU Global Research & Industry Alliance COO, Mr. Jerry Huang, expressed the welcome to the member manufacturers sincerely, and encourage them to use campus resource. He encouraged the industries to issue questions to us. The role of NCHU Global Research & Industry Alliance is to recommend the outstanding campus professors and technologies to promote industry-university cooperation for the win-win situation.        To this event, we are honored to invite very excellent manufactures and four outstanding professors and their research teams. On the day the speakers and their wonderful speech topics were: 1) the Director of the Graduate Institute of Optoelectronic Engineer of NCHU, Professor Zing-way Pei, with his topic “New Semiconductor Quantum Dot Light-emitting Diode,” 2) Professor Hsi-Fu Shih, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of NCHU, with his topic “Opto-Mechanical System Integration-Light Curing 3D Printing and Optical Encoder,” 3) Professor Pin Han, from the Graduate Institute of Precision Engineering of NCHU, with his topic “Optical Design and Application,” 4) the Director of the General Center for Academia-Industry Collaboration of NCHU, Professor Chia-Feng Lin, with his topic: Optical coating technology applied to resonant cavity light-emitting elements of microdisplay.     It is honored to invite such outstanding professors and manufacture members in this intercommunication conference. Apart from exploring the overall development trend of the optical application field, Professor Pin Han also shared us an inspired news which is National Chung Hsing University introduced the top-level ANSYS SPEOS optical software in the end of last year (2019.) He has committed to cultivation the cutting-edge precision optics talent, and the research of related advanced technology development. Moreover, he assists campus researchers to quickly build up the functional lighting systems, and aims to cultivate more outstanding optical design talents to meet the demand of many optoelectronic manufacturers in Taiwan. This could be the new kinetic energy injected into the campus research and development of applied innovative technology. ↑The Group shooting of the 2020 intercommunication of Optical Component Technology Development Committee. The NCHU Vice President, Mr. Jyh-Horngand Chou (left two,) and the Chairman of the Optical Component Technology Development Committee, Mr. Jinz-hao Li (left one,) were invited to give the opening address.  

(News & Pictures Authorized by: DIGITIMES ) As technology transforms the healthcare industry, more and more universities are offering degree programs in biomedical engineering to position themselves in the smart healthcare industry ecosystem. National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and National Central University (NCU) with robust research strength in science, engineering, ICT and other technologies further leverage cross-sector integration and the Ministry of Science and Technology's (MOST) Global Research and Industry Alliance program to actively tap industry resources and connect with market needs. Through reciprocal interactions, they look to lead Taiwan's developments in precision medicine, personalized medicine and eHealth to expand globally and build a world-class healthcare ecosystem. NTHU's research achievements in precision and personalized medicine NTHU enjoys a wealth of research resources in engineering, power mechanics, semiconductor as well as arts and humanities. Its proximity to the Hsinchu Science Park gives it a geographical advantage in connecting with the local high-tech cluster. According to Trong-young Lin, CEO, Global Research & Industry Alliance Operation Center, NTHU, under MOST's Global Research & Industry Alliance initiative to help integrate cross-sector resources, NTHU focuses on researches in smart manufacturing, biomedical technology, semiconductor, IoT and cultural creations. By enabling industry experts to discover the university's research strength and high-caliber R&D teams, NTHU successfully bridges the academia with the industry and has thereby engaged in more value-added innovations for the "Big Healthcare" industry. Hygeia Touch, a startup founded by an NTHU research team, has jointly developed the world's first COVID-19 rapid test kit for clinical use with a group of researchers led by Professor Chao-Min Cheng, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, NTHU and Tri-Service General Hospital. The test is conducted by placing a drop of a patient's serum onto a test strip to measure the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration. It can determine within two minutes if the patient's condition is about to become severe so that medical professionals can take early action to treat the patient. The test kit was just announced in June 2020 and immediately grabbed the healthcare industry's attention. According to NTHU, the test kit is undergoing clinical trials through collaboration with medical institutions including hospitals in Italy. To accelerate its use by frontline healthcare workers, it has also been submitted for an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will go to market upon FDA approval. Another NTHU-incubated startup, Cell Envision, has developed a circulating tumor cell (CTC) monitoring system. It generally takes six to twelve months of follow-up routine tests after surgery to detect metastasis in a cancer patient. Cell Envision's system can perform monthly checks to more precisely assess the risks of cancer recurrence and metastasis. Cell Envision attended the Innovation Challenge at the Redefining Early Stage Investments (RESI) held in Philadelphia in 2019 and was listed as one of the top finalists for its research achievement. Innovations that will also be on exhibit at Bio Asia-Taiwan 2020 include NexVita Technology's high-precision VSA artery spectral analysis technology, a brain damage study and drug screening platform co-developed with Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, a portable rapid sensing device for cardiovascular diseases introduced by Professor Yu-Lin Wang, Institute of NaoEngineering and MicroSystems, NTHU alongside a dozen more physical products and cutting-edge research results. Engaging in healthcare research, NCU aims to enable preventive medicine On the foundation of its strong science and engineering programs, NCU began to foray into research in healthcare, medical materials and other biotechnologies in recent years and is seeing its efforts generating results. Under MOST's support, NCU and Dutch firm DSM announced the plan to establish a joint R&D center in March 2020. By 2021, about 40 DSM researchers will be working at the center based in NCU. The partnership will help infuse an international firm's energy into NCU's research in biomedical materials to accelerate NCU's development toward high-quality preventive medicine on a global scale. The signing ceremony for the NCU-DSM joint R&D center collaboration will be held at Bio Asia-Taiwan 2020. The partnership marks a major milestone in NCU's industry-academia collaboration endeavors. According to Kwang-Hwa Lii, executive vice president, NCU, who is also in charge of NCU Global Research & Industry Alliance, the collaboration with DSM, a green chemical producer based in the Netherlands, is of symbolic importance to the university's critical material development. The two parties will combine forces in chemistry and material R&D while tapping the research strength of NCU's biomedical sciences faculty to undertake additional industry-academia collaboration projects targeting preventive medicine including multi-functional drugs and materials for medical purpose coating. NCU will present five exhibits demonstrating its research achievements at Bio Asia-Taiwan 2020, including professor Chen-Han Huang's portable allergen testing device iEAT, professor Shu-Chen Liu's application of first-generation spontaneously immortalized oral cancer cell line in translational medicine, professor Rong-Seng Chang's optical tremor analysis device for detection of Parkinson's Disease, professor Yi-Chiung Hsu's advanced bionic dynamic culture technology integrated with next-generation AI analysis platform, and professor Ssu-Ching Chen's high-efficiency performance dechlorination gel. Take the portable allergen testing device iEAT for example. Food allergies are on the rise and doctors often rely on blood tests to diagnose allergies and find allergens. Built with nanotechnology and special material, iEAT is about the size of a key chain. Not only is it convenient and portable, but it also detects allergens within two minutes at 1ppm sensitivity, comparable to internationally recognized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) conducted in laboratories. All the test results can be uploaded to the cloud via IoT technologies for AI-based computation and analysis. It serves as an ideal instrument for preventive and personalized medicine. Taiwan not only has first-rate medical professionals and provides world-leading healthcare quality but also fosters a manufacturing ecosystem that is internationally acclaimed. Under MOST's Global Research & Industry Alliance initiative, NTHU and NCU get to integrate resources and demonstrate Taiwan's innovation energy to the world from a higher perspective and fresh point of view. Driven by "Big Healthcare" industry developments, Taiwan's industry and academia will engage in closer collaborations and more partnerships with global biotechnology communities. Cell Envision was listed among the finalists of the Innovation Challenge at the Redefining Early Stage Investments 2019. Photo: NTHU The NCU Global Research & Industry Alliance team Photo: NCU

Considering the impact of the pandemic on 2020, Taiwan's financial and technology industries have expedited digital transformation so that they can provide innovative products and services to customers. In view of the circumstances, the NCCU Global Research Industry Alliance (NCCU GLORIA), NCCU FinTech Research Center, Financial Information Service Co., Ltd., and Global Views Monthly magazine jointly organized the Symposium on the Prospects of Financial Services in Taiwan: Digital Finance, Open Banking, and FinTech. Experience on these topics was shared to assist the financial industry in Taiwan as it undergoes digital transformation and upgrades.   Three main topics of the seminar includes: "Forum on the Prospects for Digital Finance," "Exchange on Innovation and Practices of Open Banking in Taiwan," and "Announcement of Results from the NCCU FinTech Laboratory." The symposium began as, Ms. Lin Rang-jun, deputy editor-in-chief of Global Views Monthly magazine, announced the winner of the " Global Views Monthly 2020 Best Bank in Digital Financial Services," She then analyzed Taiwan's digital financial services and consumer usage situations, and invited award-winning leaders of the financial industry to participate in the "Forum on the Prospects for Digital Finance." Participants included Taipei Fubon Bank Senior Vice President, Brian Chou, Next Bank General Manager, Liu I-cheng, Chief Technology Officer at CTBC Financial Holding, Titan Chia, and Executive Vice President of the Digital Banking Division at Bank SinoPac, Yan Guo-rui, who all shared digital transformation trends as well as challenges and outlooks in these trying times.   “Exchange Innovation and Practices of Open Banking in Taiwan” followed the conclusion of the forum. NCCU and Financial Information Service Co., Ltd. have been active in promoting the "Open API Ecosystem" since 2019. They established Open API business categories, specifications, and schedules, made clear the needs of banks and third-parties as well as the overall market operation, and assisted in the application and trial operation of technology and financial industries' joint participation in open banking. At present, open banking has entered its second stage. The benefits of Taiwan's open API infrastructure and innovative services were described, and three applicant companies for the second-stage open banking trial were invited to share their positioning and development.   Wang Lee-ling, Director of NCCU GLORIA mentioned that: "Second-stage open banking is a critical period for establishing a solid open banking system in Taiwan. Open banking must quickly establish technical standards, information security and risk control, technical verification, legal compliance, auditing and examination, dispute mediation, responsibility attribution, and cyber-insurance. Only then can it keep its momentum moving forward. In addition, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC)'s open banking policy can help accelerate Taiwan’s digital financial transformation and achieve financial inclusion."   In the final session, the NCCU GLORIA FinTech Pilot Laboratory announced their research results and the highlights of future digital services. This includes block chain, Artificial Intelligence, InsurTech, digital finance, RegTech, IoT bots, and innovative FinTech application scenarios. Director Wang emphasizes: "NCCU gives its full support for the digital transformation of industries. It endeavors to construct a healthy FinTech ecosystem in terms of government policy, demand, talent, and funding. At the same time, NCCU assists in the establishment of international FinTech in Taiwan and promotes the sustainable development of the domestic financial industry and the creation of high-quality financial services. NCCU is determined to show the world what Taiwan has got for FinTech.’ ▲ Group photo of the NCCU FinTech Pilot Laboratory: (from left) NCCU GLORIA CEO, Wang Shi-fang, deputy CEO, Chien Shih-yi, CEO, Peng Jin-lung, CEO, Chen Kung, NCCU FinTech Research Center Director, Wang Lee-ling, CEO, Hsieh Ming-hua, deputy CEO, Lee Yi-hsi, and CEO, Tsang Cheng-yun ▲ Group photo of experts sharing open banking innovation and practices in Taiwan: (from left) Far EasTone Telecommunications Vice President, Deng Ai-ying, Financial Information Service CO., Ltd. Vice President, Chen Xiao-mei, NCCU FinTech Research Center Director, Wang Lee-ling, Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation manager, Xu Chuan-chang, and Moneybook CEO, Aaron Chen ▲The Forum on the Prospects for Digital Finance in progress: (from left) Deputy Editor-in-chief of Global Views Monthly magazine Lin Rang-jun, Taipei Fubon Bank Senior Vice President, Brian Chou, Chief Technology Officer at CTBC Financial Holding, Titan Chia, Executive Vice President of the Digital Banking Division at Bank SinoPac, Yan Guo-rui, and Next Bank General Manager, Liu I-cheng