From January 11 to 12, 2025, the 9th China Accounting and Finance Conference (CAFC) was successfully held at the Nanhu Campus of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL). The conference was hosted by ZUEL and co-organized by its School of Finance and the Innovation Base for Digital Technology and Modern Finance. The event received substantial support from the China Asset Management Research Center of Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE), the CUFE Innovation Base for Discipline Development, and Beijing Juyuan Ruisi Data Technology Co., Ltd. (RESSET). The conference attracted nearly 150 scholars from over 100 universities worldwide.

The opening ceremony took place on the morning of January 11 in the simultaneous interpretation conference room at ZUEL. Professor Zhu Fangwei, President and Deputy Party Secretary of ZUEL, delivered a welcome speech. He extended a warm welcome to all attendees, introduced the university’s history, achievements, and progress in finance-related disciplines, and expressed his sincere hope for strengthened collaboration and joint development with scholars from both China and abroad.

Professor Zhang Xueyong, Assistant President of CUFE, Dean of its School of Finance, and Co-Chair of the conference, also addressed the opening ceremony. He provided an overview of the conference-supported journal Accounting and Finance from both accounting and finance perspectives and wished the event a successful outcome. Professor Fu Junhui from Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, representing the host of the next conference, delivered a speech inviting scholars to attend the 10th CAFC. The ceremony was chaired by Professor Yu Minggui, Dean of the School of Finance at ZUEL and Co-Director of the Innovation Base for Digital Technology and Modern Finance.

During the keynote speech session, three distinguished scholars shared their insights. Professor Huang Shiyang from the University of Hong Kong presented on the "Unintended Consequences of Holding Dollar Assets," offering an in-depth analysis of the potential risks and impacts of holding dollar assets. His research focused on how non-U.S. institutions, such as UK insurance companies, sold domestic government bonds during the pandemic due to dollar liquidity crises, thereby affecting bond market yields. Professor Qiu Buhui from the University of Sydney discussed "The Value of Corporate Patent Utilization," highlighting the use of machine learning to measure corporate patent utilization and its role in enhancing competitiveness and corporate value creation. Professor Chen Tao from Nanyang Technological University explored "Generative AI and Mutual Fund Investment," examining the impact of generative AI investment advisors on individual investors' decision-making, including returns, market timing, and risk preferences.

In the afternoon of January 11 and the morning of January 12, the conference featured 22 parallel sessions with 83 paper presentations. Scholars from over 100 universities engaged in academic exchanges covering the latest advancements in corporate finance, asset pricing, financial machine learning, risk management, behavioral finance, life insurance actuarial science, capital markets, portfolio management, and ESG. These discussions sparked active and in-depth exchanges among participants.

The 2025 CAFC provided a platform for scholars to showcase their research and exchange academic ideas, injecting new vitality into academic innovation and sustainable development in the fields of accounting and finance. Outstanding papers presented at the conference will be invited for submission to the internationally renowned journal Accounting and Finance, with selected papers to be published in Volume 65, Issue 5, following a rigorous peer-review process.