School and Industry Highlights

The Conference on Digital Transformation of Financial  Markets 2026 will be held on Monday 26 October 2026, at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium, School of Accountancy, Singapore Management University. This year's edition takes on the theme "Agentic AI and Human Collaboration in Financial Markets". We will explore how artificial intelligence is transforming core functions such as audit and assurance, risk management, and consulting—and examining the emerging applications of agentic AI working together with human expertise.

Partnering Student Services Consultancy (SSC) Tours & Travel, SMU School of Accountancy (SOA) Professional Hub co-organised the inaugural Global Immersion Competition@SMU from 28 June to 5 July this year. The programme hosted international students from around Asia, where they attended programmes and workshops designed to impart entrepreneurial, accounting, and strategic business competencies that foster innovation, and a readiness to develop and present viable business solutions.

We congratulate SMU School of Accountancy Faculty and Staff who have been recognised in the 2026 National Awards for their outstanding performance and service towards Singapore’s tertiary education sector.

The 2nd Singapore-China Accounting Leaders Dialogue: Sustainability Reporting in Practice: Standards, Assurance, and the Future of the Profession is jointly organised by SMU, Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) and Xiamen National Accounting Institute (XNAI). It is a premier platform convening policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders from Singapore and China to explore the future of sustainability reporting and professional development.

This year, SOA and MPA celebrate their 25th and 20th Anniversaries respectively and we commemorated both milestones at the SOA 25th and MPA 20th Joint Anniversary Dinner held in Pan Pacific Singapore on the evening of 15 May 2026.

The Singapore Management University (SMU) – Zhejiang University Doctor of Business Administration (SMU-ZJU DBA) (Accounting and Finance) team has become SMU’s first team to complete the renowned Gobi Desert Challenge, (or "Gobi to West") with SMU emerging as the sole recipient of the event’s Model Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Team Award.

As new AI technologies emerge, SMU School of Accountancy is committed to equipping our Accountancy students with the tools to navigate both the possibilities and risks these technologies introduce. In January 2026, we launched the new course "AI Literacy for Accounting Professionals", which was developed in consultation with AI Singapore and Amazon Web Services (AWS) Academy.

Singapore Management University (SMU) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to launch a joint Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme — a landmark initiative that brings together two leading Asian institutions to redefine high-end management education.

SMU School of Accountancy has partnered Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic to offer the University Accelerated Pathway programme (UAP) for polytechnic students with effect from 2026.

This year, SMU School of Accountancy celebrates 25 illustrious years of building impact in the accounting industry, while nurturing generations of leaders who are ready to drive transformation in tomorrow's accounting landscape.