Prof. Michael Sung is a technology venture builder and investor, having founded various companies in diverse high-tech industries ranging from AI, blockchain, semiconductor, and new materials industries. Prof. Sung is Chairman/CEO of FreeFlow Finance, a cross-border payments company focused on regulated digital currency interoperability and FX infrastructure solutions for financial institutions. He has a strong background in cross-border technology transfer, strategic industry engagement, commercialisation strategy, business model innovation, and hi-tech entrepreneurship.
Prof. Sung is the founding Co-Director of the Institute of Digital Finance Innovation at the Zhejiang University International Business School. His applied research includes digital finance, fintech policy & regulation, AI and Blockchain innovation, digital asset investment banking, asset-backed securitisation, tokenomics systems, digital economy business model innovation, and cryptoeconomics. In addition, Prof. Sung is faculty at the Chinese Institute of Economics and Finance, a national-level think tank focused on thought leadership for finance innovation and fintech policy and best practices.
Prof. Sung has served in numerous advisory roles over the years for the HK, Taiwan, and China governments on international tech transfer, innovation ecosystem building, AI, blockchain, and fintech policy for various top city and minister-level officials. He is a world-recognised expert on digital currencies, in particular the digital RMB/e-CNY. He is frequently invited to speak at over 100 high-profile international events including at the UN, Vatican, Economist, OECD, C100, OMFIF, Money20/20, CFC, GBBC, etc. and has organised and hosted high-profile events including the One World Blockchain Forum and an annual Future of Fintech and Finance Forum at Davos. Prof. Sung is a member of the China Digital Finance Advisory Group for the UN Task Force on Digital Financing of the SDGs, CBDC Committee for the World Digital Economy Council, China Ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council, and the Digital Economy Task Force for the UN ESCAP Sustainable Business Network. He was also the chairman of the steering committee for MIT Tech Review’s Emtech HK Conference. Prof. Sung has received various awards for technology entrepreneurship, including MIT Enterprise Forum’s Most Visionary Technology Award and Google’s Solve for X Prize. Prof. Sung received his Ph.D. in EECS at the MIT Media Lab/CS & AI Laboratory as well as a graduate financial engineering degree from MIT Sloan Business School.