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Citibank and the Faculty of Business Administration of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today announced the successful completion of Citibank University Banking Course 2007-2008. Following a series of intensive lectures, four students with outstanding performances were selected and awarded “Outstanding Achievement Awards”, winning study trips to Shanghai and Singapore.

At the graduation ceremony, Mr. Weber Lo, Chief Executive Officer & Country Business Manager, Citibank Global Consumer Group, said “In view of the growing need for financial education and interest in acquiring practical knowledge in banking, Citibank is glad to share its financial expertise by offering a valuable course such as this to the students of the Faculty of Business Administration at CUHK. In addition, we hope that this course will help the younger generation develop good habits in managing their own finances.”

In this three-month program, 45 students were admitted to attend 14 classroom lectures covering a wide spectrum of the retail banking business, a visit to a Citibank branch, a mid-term test and a final project. The final project required students to make suggestions on possible direction for the evolution of banking services in the coming 15 years. Students are encouraged to be creative and think beyond available technologies. Creative ideas generated include the highest-score project – a new product named “Citi Ring” which aims to provide tailor-made purchasing and social networking services through internet basing on sophisticated analysis of customers’ spending histories and financial status. Another project – “YOU Banking” suggests to provide customers with a one-stop virtual banking platform operating with Artificial Intelligence. The system is embedded in a pair of fashionable sunglasses which enables customers to handle banking transactions verbally or by pointing on a virtual screen on air anywhere and anytime. Students were awarded three credits towards their academic qualifications upon successful completion of the course.

Four students were selected and awarded the “Outstanding Achievement Award”, based on their attendance, class participation, results from the mid-term test and the score they received in their final group project. They are (in alphabetical order):

‧Mr. Lee Chi Chung
‧Ms. Sun Beibei
‧Mr. Wong Chi Wah
‧Ms. Yeung Man Yee

The four outstanding students were awarded study trips to Shanghai and Singapore, where they will have a chance to broaden their vision. In addition, students who participated actively in lectures will be given an interview opportunity for internship at Citibank Hong Kong this summer.

Officiating at the Graduation Ceremony, Prof. Liu Pak Wai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong said, “I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Citibank for offering our students this unique opportunity to share the wisdom of various veteran bankers. I am also delighted to see that the students did enjoy the course very much. The creative ideas from their projects are really impressive. I am sure all of the graduates have established a solid foundation of professional knowledge and contemporary practices in the banking industry. This will be an invaluable step for them to pursue down the road towards a successful banking professional.”

The 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 markets in the Asia Pacific region including mainland China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. In Hong Kong, the program was launched at 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 future leaders understand complex financial issues.

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 http://www.citigroup.comor http://www.citi.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.

Faculty of Business Administration, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Faculty of Business Administration at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUBA) is a pioneer in business education in Hong Kong. For over 40 years, CUBA has nurtured more than 12,000 undergraduates and over 4,000 MBA graduates, who are now very successful business leaders and entrepreneurs, and hold prominent management positions in local and international corporations. With an uncompromising insistence on quality and innovation, CUBA continues to strengthen its status as one of the leading business schools in Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.baf.cuhk.edu.hk.