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Mirae Asset Financial Group Chairman Park Hyeon-joo and local employees pose for a group photo during the "MAPS" launch event held in Hong Kong in June. / Mirae Asset Securities

Mirae Asset Securities is partnering with Alibaba to discover AI talent in the Greater China region for the first time. The initiative aims to expand engagement with local youth by drawing out their AI innovation capabilities through a competitive contest. The project is led by the Hong Kong entity, which recently unveiled a new investment platform targeting Greater China markets such as Hong Kong, in a move seen as laying the groundwork to solidify its local foothold and boost brand recognition among Gen Z and millennials.

According to the securities industry on the 22nd, Mirae Asset Securities plans to host the "Global AI Festival" jointly with Alibaba Cloud next month. Expanding Mirae Asset's university student AI competition—which marked its 10th anniversary in South Korea—onto the global stage, the contest targets undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in universities across mainland China and Hong Kong.

Participating teams can select one of two tracks. The first is the "AI + Brand" category, where participants propose AI solutions capable of elevating Mirae Asset Securities' brand recognition and customer trust in Greater China markets. The second is the "AI + Finance" category, challenging entrants to propose AI products or services that can innovate asset management for investors.

Teams that pass the document screening will refine their ideas through online mentoring sessions with Alibaba Cloud next month. Finalist teams will then compete in an on-site presentation round on November 5 in Qianhai, Shenzhen, a premier hub for financial innovation in China. A total of 170,000 yuan (approximately 35 million won) in prize money will be awarded across six winning teams. Throughout this process, participants are restricted to using AI tools provided or designated by Alibaba Cloud.

An official from Mirae Asset Securities explained, "The objective is to help students explore how artificial intelligence can transform financial services and build brand trust."

The event draws keen attention as a follow-up move to Mirae Asset Securities' unveiling of its global investment platform, MAPS (Mirae Asset Portfolio Service), in Hong Kong this past June. Developed under the "Mirae Asset 3.0" vision—the group's next-generation growth roadmap—MAPS is the firm's first global investment platform designed to allow investors to trade both traditional and digital assets within a single mobile interface. Mirae Asset's Hong Kong unit has already secured a digital asset brokerage license from the local Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), laying the operational framework for related services.

During the Hong Kong launch of MAPS, Chairman Park Hyeon-joo described the rollout as "the moment we officially begin business with retail clients in Hong Kong, 20 years after establishing a securities firm here," defining it "not as a mere business expansion, but as a business inflection point." Park also presented a concrete blueprint targeting 1 trillion yuan in assets under management. The event's dual focus on building brand trust and driving trading innovation aligns closely with this Mirae Asset 3.0 roadmap.

                                                                                                                Park I-sak