From June 10-11, 2022, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU) hosted the popular 4th China Derivatives Youth Forum. Held online, the conference was jointly organised by the China Derivatives Youth Forum organisation, the Department of Finance at International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), and the Department of Financial and Actuarial Mathematics.
On the morning of June 10, IBSS Senior Associate Professor and Chair of the forum, Dr. Jia Zhai, presided over the opening ceremony. During the ceremony, IBSS Dean Professor Jorg Bley extended a warm welcome to participating scholars and introduced the forum’s keynote speakers: the Forum Secretariat and the newly added PhD Session. Dr. Zhai then chaired the first and second sessions on the morning of June 10 and 11, with Deputy Dean of the School of Science, Senior Associate Professor Dr. Conghua Wen, chairing the PhD session on the afternoon of June 10. Zhejiang University Professor Xingguo Luo and Dr. Jia Zhai then co-chaired the high-end industry forum on the evening of June 10. A prize of 4,000 RMB was awarded for the title of “Best Conference Paper” funded by IBSS, and 10,000 RMB for the "Best PhD Paper", generously funded by Xiamen University Professors Zhenlong Zheng and Rong Chen.
Prof. Jorg Bley
Princeton University Professor Wei Xiong, Co-Editor of the Journal of Finance; IBSS Professor Xuezhong He, Co-Editor of Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control; and Tianjin University and IBSS Professor Wei Zhang, Editor in Chief of Journal of Management Science, were also invited to give keynote speeches during the conference. The 4th China Derivatives Youth Forum proved highly popular among participants, with 200 experts, scholars and industry figures from well-known universities at home and abroad actively participating in the general sessions and a further 500 joining the industrial round table discussion.
Prof. Wei Xiong
Prof. Xuezhong He
Prof. Wei Zhang
This conference has served to drive the goals of the China Derivatives Youth Forum as a whole, with examples of the quality of the presentations and dialogue involved found below:
Firstly, the papers presented were of high quality. Research selected for this conference included the papers presented by professors from the South University of Science And Technology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, etc. Xin Zang (Beijing Jiaotong University) 's paper was awarded the "Best Conference Paper" from among these popular presentations. The PhD session aimed to inspire young scholars and hopes to cultivate the next generation of presenters at the forum. PhD student Peng Zhu (Nanjing University) was awarded the "Best PhD Paper".
Secondly, the comments and in-depth discussions during the conference were highly valuable. Discussions included many top scholars in the field of derivatives research, with these including Professor Gurdip Bakshi from Temple University, Professor Guofu Zhou from Washington University in St Louis, etc., and a wide variety of other young domestic and international professors. The comments and suggestions provided were both detailed and insightful, and proved to be valuable feedback for both presenters and the audience.
Prof. Gurdip Bakshi
Prof. Guofu Zhou
Thirdly, the forum attached great importance to practical and applied knowledge. At the industrial round table discussion entitled "From the Ivory Tower to the Financial Street", held on the evening of June 10, Minwei Lian, General Manager of the Financial Derivatives Department of Industrial Securities, and Xiangxiao Sun, head of the OTC Derivatives Department of Huatai Securities, gave the talks themed on "The Development of Structured Products". These practical presentations served to promote the communication between derivatives academia and the industry.
The conference also receives strong support from the Head of Department Professor Stephen Gong. The conference committee members Dr. Yingying Wu, Dr. Shimeng Shi, and Senior Administrator Kedi Yu from IBSS work together to ensure smooth convening.
The China Derivatives Youth Forum is an academic platform for dialogue on derivatives and risk management related issues, and dedicated to the promotion of in-depth exchanges between young scholars in derivatives and related fields. Launched at Zhejiang University in December 2020, the second iteration of this forum was held at Nottingham University (Ningbo) in June 2021, while the third was hosted online by the Xiamen University School of Management in October 2021.
On the afternoon of June 12, members of the China Derivatives Youth Forum gathered online once more for an in-depth, creative and constructive discussion on the forum’s future direction and further improvement. One product of this discussion was to absorb Professor Zhuo Huang from Peking University, Professor Xintong Zhan from Fudan University, Professor Jay Cao from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Associate Professor Yangshu Liu from Xiamen University to join as forum members. Another was a decision for the 5th iteration of this conference to be hosted by the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in December 2022. With this final session complete, the China Derivatives Youth Forum came to a successful conclusion.
