One year into the new gaming concessions, the city’s core industry has undergone a robust post-pandemic recovery. The Macau gaming industry has entered a new era marked by heightened supervision and a strong emphasis on the mass market, non-gaming, and diversification. Macau Business and Rui Cunha Foundation brought together a distinguished panel of experts to delve into the main takeaways from the first year of the new model and what comes next.

Guest Speakers:

Davis Fong: Director of Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming, University of Macau

Rui Pinto Proença: Managing partner, MdME

Niall Murray: Chairman, Murray International (Macau) Co. Ltd.

José I. Duarte: Economist, Macau Business Senior Analyst

Moderator:

José Carlos Matias: Director of Macau Business and Macau News Agency

Date: 15/01/2024

Location: Rui Cunha Foundation

More than a buzzword, cultural and creative industries have emerged as a pillar aimed at fostering a more diverse economic structure. How can we nurture talent, enhance innovation, and unlock the sector’s potential?

Guest Speakers

Carlos Marreiros, President, Albergue SCM – ALBcreativeLAB

Alice Kok, President, Art for All Society

Ricardo Pinto, Director, The Script Road – Macau Literary Festival

Agnes Lam, Director, Centre for Macau Studies, University of Macau

Moderator

José Carlos Matias, Director, Macau Business and Macau News Agency

Date: 18/10/2023

Location: Rui Cunha Foundation

As Macau embraces a sound post-pandemic recovery, economic modernization and diversification take center stage, along with regional integration.
A distinguished panel of guest speakers, comprising heads of Macau-based international chambers of commerce, shared their views on the way forward in another edition of the MBtv/FRC debates series held on July 5.

Guest Speakers:

Charles Choy, Chairman, American Chamber of Commerce in Macau

Billy Chan, Chairman, Australian Chamber of Commerce in Macau

Keith Buckley, Chairman, British Chamber of Commerce in Macao

Rutger Verschuren, Chairman, France Macau Chamber of Commerce

Rui Pedro Cunha, President, Macau European Chamber of Commerce

Carlos Cid Álvares, President, Portugal-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Macau Delegation

Moderator:

José Carlos Matias

Director of Macau Business and Macau News Agency 

Macau’s tourism industry has bounced back with a bang following the post-COVID reopening. As mass tourism returns, prospects for the local economy are once again bullish. Meanwhile, the case for upgrading the visitor experience is stronger than ever in an increasingly competitive regional and global landscape. A distinguished panel joined  another instalment of the MBtv/FRC Debates Series jointly held by Macau Business and Rui Cunha Foundation on June 6.

Guest Speakers:

Luís Herédia, President, Macau Hotel Association

Celia Lao, Vice Chairman, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA Aviation Exchange Association

Vinzenz Rosa de Pauli, President, SKAL International Macau

Penny Wan, Professor, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies 

Moderator:

José Carlos Matias

Director of Macau Business and Macau News Agency 

It’s a revolution in the making, and it’s already all around us. Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly and having an unprecedented impact on our daily lives, one that we are only beginning to grasp. A distinguished panel joined  another instalment of the MBtv/FRC Debates Series jointly held by Rui Cunha Foundation and Macau Business on April 26.

Guest Speakers: 

Carlos Silvestre, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau

Sara Migliorini, Assistant Professor in Global Legal Studies, University of Macau

Vincent Pun, Principal at MetaWeb Ventures

Moderator: José Carlos Matias, Director of Macau Business and Macau News Agency

The development of modern finance has been set as a key pillar to drive Macau’s economic diversification. In addition to an upgraded legal framework, talent development emerges as a key component of a successful strategy. A distinguished panel of experts addressed the importance of nurturing and attracting talent to develop the city’s financial services industry in a round-table discussion jointly held by the Macau Insurance Industry Professionals Association (MIIPA), Macau Business magazine and Rui Cunha Foundation on November 21.

Guest Speakers: 

António Felix Pontes, Chief Representative for Macau, Greater Bay Area Impact Forum Foundation

Sam Tou,Executive Director, BNU

Cally Kuan Ho Weng,President of the General Assembly of Macau Society of Registered Accountants

Calvin Tinlop Chui,President of the Executive Committee of Macau Financial Law Association

Chair: 

Ivan Cheung, President of Macau Insurance Industry Professionals Association (MIIPA)

Moderator:

José Carlos Matias, Director of Macau Business and Macau News Agency,

The digital currency revolution is in the pipeline. China is moving forward with the Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP) and Macau plans reforms to the local financial system legal framework to embrace digital currency. As Macau News Agency (MNA) celebrates its 4th anniversary, Macau Business/MNA and Rui Cunha Foundation bring together in partnership with Observatório da China a panel of experts to discuss the impact of this transformational process.

Guest Speakers:

Jean Chen, Dean, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau

Daniel de Senna Fernandes, Consultant, Riquito Advogados

Oriol Caudevilla, Co-Leader, CBDC and Financial Inclusion Working Groups, Global Impact FinTech Forum

Daniel Farinha, Senior Lecturer, University of Saint Joseph

The COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on the MICE (Meetings Incentives Conventions and Exhibitions) industry. Amid the restrictions, hybrid (online/offline) events have become a trend. As we transition into the post-pandemic era, which challenges and opportunities lie ahead for the industry? A panel of industry players and experts from Macau and Singapore discusses the way ahead for the MICE and events sector in  another instalment of the MBtv/FRC Debates Series jointly held by Rui Cunha Foundation and Macau Business on October 26.

Guest Speakers: 

Bruno Simões 

President, Macau Meetings, Incentives and Special Events Association

Todd Cai

Vice President, Macau Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors

Glenn McCartney

Associate Professor in Integrated Resort and Tourism Management, University of Macau

Florence Chua

Managing director,  Professional Convention Management Association (Asia Pacific)

After almost three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Macau’s economy is struggling to get back on its feet. While businesses and society look forward to a post-pandemic normality, a distinguished panel of business leaders and experts discusses the path towards economic recovery in a roundtable jointly held by Macau Business and Rui Cunha Foundation on September 27.

Guest Speakers: 

Kevin Ho 

President, Industry and Commerce Association of Macau

Rui Pedro Cunha

President, Macau European Chamber of Commerce

José Luís Sales Marques

President, Institute of European Studies of Macau 

Henry Lei 

Assistant Professor in Business Economics, University of Macau

France Macau Chamber of Commerce and Macau Business held a webinar on the future of the city’s gaming industry on September 8.

2022 is definitely a watershed for Macau’s core industry. After the new gaming law came into effect, all eyes are on September 14, the deadline for submitting bids for the new casino concessions. The tender takes place as the gaming industry is enduring a deep pandemic-induced recession and the city’s economy is struggling to get back on its feet in the face of travel restrictions both in Macau and in Mainland China. Where do we go from here? What will the post-pandemic, post-tender new normal look like? The New Era of Macau’s gaming industry is just around the corner.

Panelists:

Alidad Tash, Managing Director of 2NT8 Limited

Jorge Costa Oliveira, Founder & CEO of JCO Consultancy

Vitaly Umansky, Managing Director & Senior Analyst of AB Bernstein

Moderator:

José Carlos Matias, Director of Macau Business

More than a buzzword, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a key component of business operations globally. In Macau, key business players are increasingly embracing CSR and Sustainability. How can it be taken to a higher level? How to get CSR right? What roles can the government, companies, and civil society play? These were the key questions on the table at this roundtable jointly held by Macau Business and Rui Cunha Foundation.

Guest Speakers: 

Edmond Etchri, Director of Generation Department, CEM  

Mary Mendoza, Managing director, The Platinum Limited

Ruby O, Founder and Chairperson, Society of Food and Environmental Health (Macao) 

Tiffany Leung, Secretary of the General Assembly, Macau Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility in Greater China

The digital currency revolution is in the pipeline. China is moving forward with the Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP) and Macau plans reforms to the local financial system legal framework to embrace digital currency. As Macau News Agency (MNA) celebrated its 4th anniversary, Macau Business/MNA and Rui Cunha Foundation bring together in partnership with Observatório da China on November 24, 2021, a panel of experts to discuss the impact of this transformational process.

Guest Speakers: 

Jean Chen, Dean, Faculty of Business Administration and Chair Professor in Accounting and Finance, University of Macau

Daniel Senna Fernandes, Consultant, Riquito Advogados 

Oriol Caudevilla, Co-Leader, CBDC and Financial Inclusion Working Groups, Global Impact FinTech Forum 

Daniel Farinha, Senior Lecturer, University of Saint Joseph

The revision of Macau’s gaming law is underway, paving the way to adjustments to the city’s core industry as the local economy sits at a critical juncture. 

Macau Business and Rui Cunha Foundation brought together on October 21 experts from diverse backgrounds to discuss the way forward for the sector and the economy as a whole, as diversification and regional integration are set to play a key role.

Carlos Siu, Associate Professor, Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies, Macau Polytechnic Institute 

Rui Pinto Proença, Partner, MdME Lawyers

Alidad Tash,Managing Director, 2NT8 

José I. Duarte, Economist, Macau Business Senior Analyst 

Watch the video of the full debate here.

From cooperation at government level across the Greater Bay Area to individual efforts, all these could contribute to building a more environmentally-friendly Macau, according to experts joining the latest instalment of the MBtv Debates series in partnership with Rui Cunha Foundation.

Guest Speakers:

Christine Loh, Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

David Gonçalves, Dean of the Institute of Science and Environment, University of Saint Joseph

Benson Lam, COO of MECOM and MUCHARGING (Macau)

Annie Lao, environmentalist

Watch the video of the full debate here.

Wishful thinking or the definite driver of diversification? Steps are being taken towards elevating Macau’s financial industry to whole new level. Securities market, smart banking, wealth management, bond market, digital currency, fintech and Hengqin These are the watchwords.

Macau Business and Rui Cunha Foundation brought together on April 27, 2021, a panel experts to discuss what lies ahead for SAR’s financial sector:

Sam Tou, Executive Director, Banco Nacional Ultramarino

António Félix Pontes, Chief Representative for Macau, Greater Bay Area Impact Forum Foundation

Jacky Y. C. So, Chair Professor and Vice President Dean, School of Business Macau University of Science and Technology

MBtv Debates – Blue Card Holders – The unloved?

Non-resident workers, commonly called blue or white cards, continue to feel that they are only doing well in Macau when Macau is doing well for itself; when times are good, and local workers do not want or are not qualified to do jobs that, at that time, are left for others. And when times go wrong, non-resident workers feel the burden of difference. 

Meanwhile, as Macau gears up to embrace the Greater Bay Area development plan, imported labour is set to play a crucial role to enhance the city’s competitiveness. How to protect the local manpower, have a more humane approach to migrant workers, attract talents and ensure that companies have access to the workforce they need to prosper?

 Macau Business and Rui Cunha Foundation held a debate on Macau’s imported labour and Human Resources challenges, on October 8, 2020, with the contribution of three experts:

Seow Yuen Loh– Managing Director – MSS Recruitment Hello-jobs.com

Melody Lu– Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Macau

Icília Berenguel– Senior Associate Lawyer, C&C Lawyers

Guest speakers:

Ben Lee – Managing Partner IGamix Management and Consulting Lda

David Green – Principal of Newpage Consulting

Jorge C. Oliveira – Former Commissioner for legal affairs Macau Gaming Commission

Commentaries:

Nuno Sardinha da Mata – Lawyer, Partner C&C Lawyers

Hengqin will complement Macau’s property or canibalize it? And how good investment is now before the island gets the go ahead to be full of residents?

Time to buy or to sell? Tips for investments. How are rents performing?