MOU signed in Beijing by Gibraltar’s Minister for Commerce Albert Isola MP and President of Huobi University Jianing Yu

Gibraltar and Beijing, China – 5th September, 2019 – The University of Gibraltar and Huobi University, a leading blockchain technology and application education institution in China, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the development of blockchain education and research initiatives. Albert Isola MP, Gibraltar’s Minister for Commerce, formally exchanged the document on behalf of the University of Gibraltar along with Jianing Yu President of Huobi University, during his visit to Beijing this week.

The agreement is geared towards promoting cooperation in education, academic research, the development and collaboration of academic programmes, and the creation and delivery of short courses in key areas including blockchain, cryptotechnology, and fintech.

Minister for Commerce, The Hon Albert Isola MP, said, “We are very excited at the prospect of future collaborations between Huobi University and the University of Gibraltar, particularly as a means of accelerating the establishment of high quality blockchain-focused educational initiatives. Both parties share an ambition to promote high level academic research around the burgeoning DLT landscape, and I look forward to seeing this vision take shape.”

President of Huobi University, Dr. Yu Jianing said, “The Huobi University is an education and research institution focusing on the frontier fields of new distributed business models, new applications of blockchain technology, and new digital finance systems. The goal is to cultivate top entrepreneurs and investors in the blockchain field. Huobi University have been giving the courses in China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea, and have trained more than 1,000 blockchain industry elites. Strategic cooperation with the University of Gibraltar is an important step towards the internationalization of the Huobi University, and both parties will launch a series of English-oriented courses for entrepreneurs and investors around the world in the future.”

“Huobi has a rich history of working with the Gibraltar Government in the pursuit of blockchain innovation. The company was awarded a full DLT licence from the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) in November 2018, and Huobi recognises the intrinsic link between the development of blockchain education offerings and mainstream DLT adoption — a sentiment that has fuelled Gibraltar’s ascent as a global blockchain powerhouse,” concluded Minister Isola.

Vice-Chancellor at the University of Gibraltar, Professor Catherine Bachleda added, "The University of Gibraltar is already actively engaged in the blockchain, DLT and FinTech educational landscape, providing professional and tertiary courses. We are very much looking forward to advancing knowledge in this exciting new world through research."

Huobi University is an affiliate of the Huobi Group, a leading global digital asset financial service provider established in Beijing in 2013. With operations established worldwide, Huobi is one of the largest exchanges operating in the blockchain industry and has established compliance service teams across the globe to ensure a customer-centric approach.

In June, Albert Isola MP, Gibraltar’s Minister for Commerce attended and delivered the keynote speech at a blockchain seminar organised by Huobi Group in Beijing. The ‘Discover Gibraltar with Huobi’ event provided an extensive insight into Gibraltar’s evolving Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ecosystem and supportive regulatory environment. The Huobi seminar included panel sessions on blockchain regulation and fintech development with a number of prominent Chinese blockchain academics from leading Chinese universities and professionals participating in the discussions.

Minister Isola was accompanied at this week’s MOU signing ceremony by Gibraltar Finance Senior Executives Michael Ashton and Paul Astengo. Yang Jun, Vice President of the Huobi University, David Chen, VP of Huobi University, Wang Yan, General Manager of Huobi Club, and Pan Dong, Deputy General Manager of Huobi Club, attended the signing ceremony as well.

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Minister for Commerce, The Hon Albert Isola MP is available for interview

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About Gibraltar

A British Overseas Territory, Gibraltar is a self-governing and self-financing democracy that has established itself globally as a reliable centre for the blockchain and digital assets industry.  In January 2018, Gibraltar became the very first jurisdiction globally to introduce legislation around Distributed-Ledger-Technology (DLT), and has since asserted its position as a leading blockchain and cryptocurrency hub. With Gibraltar’s core values of regulation, reputation and speed to market at the foundation of its efforts within the blockchain industry, Gibraltar is now globally renowned for its commitment to creating a sustainable and secure regulatory framework for blockchain, as well as being one of the leading proponents in the advancement of the technology.

For more information please visit http://www.gibraltarfinance.gi/en/home

About The Hon Albert Isola MP

The Honorable Albert Isola MP is Gibraltar’s Minister for Commerce with the primary responsibility of raising Gibraltar’s profile as an established onshore, mainstream, well-regulated financial services centre. Working closely with the financial services regulator, the Financial Services Commission, he is responsible for financial services policy, product development, and responding to international initiatives such as international tax compliance. Minister Isola played a leading role in the establishment of the Gibraltar International Bank, a first for Gibraltar as a home-grown full-service credit institution.

About the University of Gibraltar

The University of Gibraltar is a not-for-profit independent tertiary institution established in Gibraltar under the University of Gibraltar Act 2015. Its principal mission is to respond to current societal needs as well as shape personal and professional futures through the pursuit of high-quality education, training, and research. Partnerships with business, government, charitable foundations, healthcare and educational institutions lie at the heart of the University’s mission. One of the University’s core areas of work includes Blockchain, DLT and Fintech and it has set up a key advisory group in New Technologies in Education to support this initiative.