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Citibank and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today held the inauguration ceremony for “Citibank University Banking Course 2008-2009”, which will be offered to selected second-year students from all faculties of CUHK.

Riding on the success of the program in the past four years, the Citibank University Banking Course, which is part of the Citi Financial Education Series and is funded by Citi Foundation, will be open to all CUHK students for the first time, regardless of their faculty. The program is designed to provide students with the insights and soft skills required in modern banking operations and practices, giving a valuable opportunity for students to explore the real world of banking, through both structured classroom lectures and interactive discussion with senior bankers from Citibank. Apart from finance-related knowledge, the lecturers will also talk about essential skillsets in the workplace, which are important for the future career development of the students.

After a rigorous selection process which included individual interviews and group interviews, 50 students have been admitted to the course. Prior to the banking course, an introductory business course will be delivered to the students, in order to give them a general understanding of the business world. The banking course will run from October 2008 to March 2009, and consist of classroom lectures, a visit to Citibank branch, a mid-term and a final presentation.

At the inauguration ceremony, Mr. Shengman Zhang, Citi Country Officer for Hong Kong, said, “As a pioneer in promoting financial literacy, Citibank is glad to offer this banking course with different universities in Hong Kong, which we have been doing since 2004. The course has been developed to prepare the students for new challenges in the future. Apart from financial knowledge, we strongly believe that future leaders have to be equipped with all-round skills, hence, this year, our Citibankers will also share their wealth of managerial skills as well as soft skills with the students during lessons. With a long-term commitment to the local society, we hope to continue in fostering more competent leaders. “

Prof. Pak-wai Liu, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK said, “This tailor-made Banking Course will provide students with a golden opportunity to acquire from Citibank experts the latest knowledge and world-class practice in the banking industry. I believe this will be a very good foundation for preparing many of our students to kick start their career in the banking and finance sector upon their graduation. The students participating in this joint Banking Course are from a wide range of academic disciplines, and all of them are high academic achievers in the University. I understand that all of them have to go through a stringent and competitive selection process before they can enroll in the Course. I would therefore like to congratulate all the students on your admission to this extraordinary program. I am certain that every student participant in this Course will make full use of the unique opportunity to learn from the wisdom and wealth of experience of accomplished bankers from one of the world’s leading banking giants.”

Citibank University Banking Course is a five-month intensive program consisting of over 26 hours of lectures from senior Citibankers and a visit to a Citibank branch office, covering a comprehensive scope of the financial service industry. This year’s modules include:

‧Introduction of Consumer & Investment Banking
‧Treasury Cycle
‧Risk Management
‧Investment Products and Advisory Services
‧Branch Operation
‧Cards Business
‧Consumer Finance
‧Corporate Business
‧Insurance
‧Compliance and Control
‧Bank Marketing and Research
‧Career in Banking

Citibank University Banking Course was first run in Taiwan in 1998 at the National Taiwan University. Citibank now conducts similar banking courses in several other countries in the Asia Pacific region including mainland China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. In Hong Kong, the program was first launched in the University of Hong Kong in 2004. The program aims to teach students in higher education the fundamentals of finance and banking, as well as to help develop future leaders to understand complex financial issues.

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About Citi
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citi’s major brand names include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Nikko. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.comor www.citi.com.

Citi Foundation
The Citi Foundation is committed to enhancing economic opportunities for underserved individuals and families in the communities where we work throughout the world. Globally, the Citi Foundation is focusing its giving on Microfinance and Microentrepreneurship, which helps individuals become economically self-sufficient; Small and Growing Businesses, leading to economic expansion and job creation; Education, which prepares young people for personal and professional success; Financial Education, which helps individuals make informed financial decisions; and the Environment with a focus on sustainable enterprises that generate jobs and stimulate economic growth while preserving the environment. Additional information can be found at http://www.citigroupfoundation.com/.

Citi Financial Education
Based on the belief that knowledge is your greatest asset, the Citi Financial Education Program is a global, company-wide effort to identify, support and implement initiatives that help give individuals, families and communities the tools needed to make sound financial decisions. Citi's ten-year, $200 million global commitment is focused in three areas: Personal, Small Business and Institutional Financial Education. Additional information about Citi Financial Education Program, including Citi Foundation guidelines, links and resources and the Citi Financial Education Program Curriculum and Facilitator's Guide may be found at http://financialeducation.citigroup.com.