- Griffith Business School, HKUST & KPMG launched Asia's first Financial Crime & Forensic Accounting major
- MoU signed; HKUST to lead curriculum, Griffith to provide academic expertise, KPMG to contribute industry insights
- Program to launch in late 2025 in response to rising global financial crime, backed by Griffith’s Academy of Excellence
Griffith Business School has made a historic international collaboration announcement with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and KPMG to develop Asia's first financial crime and forensic accounting major in the Master of Science in Accounting (MSAC) at HKUST. This historic move represents a significant leap forward in bringing together academic excellence and industry needs, and demonstrates a profound, common commitment to fighting the increasingly pervasive threat of financial crime across the world.
The partnership was cemented in a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed earlier this month. Through the partnership, each partner contributes a specific strength to the table to help ensure the success and applicability of the program. The HKUST, with its international ranking, will lead the development of the program structure so that it complements its existing MSAC curriculum seamlessly. Griffith University, a leader in research and teaching quality in financial crime investigation, will bring extensive academic knowledge to the production of course content. KPMG, a global top-tier professional services company, will introduce the program to essential real-world knowledge, drawing on its extensive background in forensic accounting, fraud detection, and regulatory compliance. KPMG's contribution will ensure not only that students are exposed to theoretical frameworks, but also trained using practical tools and case studies that mirror today's challenges in the financial crime environment.
To be rolled out in late 2025, the program is a timely reaction to the rising complexity and magnitude of financial crimes, ranging from money laundering and corporate fraud through to cyber-financial threats. The venture is thoroughly supplemented by the Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance, which is located within Griffith Business School. The Academy is instrumental in developing the curriculum, basing it on hard research as well as current policy shifts. Director of the Academy, Professor Andreas Chai, emphasized that the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to confronting one of the most significant issues of our era. He noted that financial crime not only harms economic stability but also eats away at public trust in institutions and markets.
This cross-disciplinary collaboration between the academy and industry is a paradigm shift for postgraduate education in the Asia-Pacific region. Through the promotion of cross-border academic collaboration and the integration of industry knowledge into the core curriculum, it is seeking to bring forth a new generation of accounting professionals who are well-capable of preventing, investigating, and detecting financial crime within an increasingly globalized world.
