The six major state-owned banks will invest over 130 billion yuan in financial technology in 2025.

Invest in stocks with Golden Kylin Analyst Reports—authoritative, professional, timely, comprehensive, helping you uncover potential thematic opportunities!

Our reporter Li Bing and Xiong Yue

As of March 31, all six major state-owned banks—Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Bank of Communications, and Postal Savings Bank—have fully disclosed their 2025 annual reports. Serving as the ballast for the real economy, these six banks have achieved steady growth in operating performance, continuing the main theme of “increasing technological investment, deepening AI applications, and serving the real economy,” with total fintech investment exceeding 130 billion yuan.

In terms of AI (artificial intelligence) technology deployment, major state-owned banks are committed to strengthening AI infrastructure, building an AI ecosystem, and promoting large-scale AI scenario applications, thereby driving business quality and efficiency improvements and building core competitiveness.

Fintech Investment Reaches New Highs

In 2025, the operating performance of the six major state-owned banks remains stable, with core indicators such as asset size, revenue, and net profit continuing to improve, while maintaining high-intensity fintech investments to continuously enhance the role of digital intelligence engines.

In 2025, the total fintech investment of the six major state-owned banks exceeds 130 billion yuan, further increasing from 125.46B yuan in 2024, with both the scale and quality of investments improving simultaneously. Among them, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s fintech investment is 28.59B yuan, surpassing 20 billion yuan for five consecutive years, leading the industry; Agricultural Bank of China’s total information technology investment is 25.65B yuan; Bank of China’s fintech investment (domestic regulatory standards) is 25B yuan, accounting for 3.80% of operating income; China Construction Bank’s fintech investment is 26.72B yuan, accounting for 3.51% of operating income; Postal Savings Bank’s information technology investment is 11.79B yuan, representing 3.31% of operating income; Bank of Communications’ fintech investment is 12.34B yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.81%, accounting for 5.78% of operating income, the highest among the six banks.

Technology development relies on talent. While increasing funding, the six major state-owned banks continue to expand their technology talent teams, building a solid “moat” for technological innovation and scenario applications, and promoting the transformation of technological investments into real development momentum.

By the end of 2025, the proportion of fintech personnel at Industrial Bank reaches 9.8%; China Construction Bank has 30,085 digital financial staff, accounting for 7.95% of the group; Bank of Communications has 9,782 fintech personnel, an 8.20% increase from the end of 2024, representing 9.99% of the total group employees; Postal Savings Bank has 7,414 technology personnel; Bank of China has 19,987 employees managing technology and digital operations, accounting for 6.37%.

According to Tian Lihui, a finance professor at Nankai University, by 2025, the fintech investment of major state-owned banks has entered a stage of “steady growth in total volume, optimized structure, and balanced quality and efficiency.”

“By 2025, the total fintech investment of the six major state-owned banks will steadily increase year-on-year, with the focus shifting from ‘speed’ to ‘quality and benefits,’” said Lou Feipeng, researcher at China Postal Savings Bank, in an interview with Securities Daily. Currently, the investment focus of these banks generally centers on AI large models and computing power infrastructure, evolving from single-point technological innovation to a systematic layout integrating computing power, algorithms, and data platforms. Meanwhile, they continue to expand their recruitment of tech talent, achieving full-chain intelligence in risk control, marketing, and operations, and placing greater emphasis on autonomous control and security governance systems.

Driving Digital Transformation with AI Applications

If continuous technological investment is the “confidence” behind the digital transformation of the six major state-owned banks, then large-scale AI application deployment is the “core lever” for unlocking value. By 2025, all six banks will treat AI as a key tool for digital transformation, with technologies such as large models, intelligent agents, and digital employees deeply integrated into credit, risk control, customer service, wealth management, and other business chains, achieving a leap from “single-point applications” to “full-domain empowerment,” with remarkable results.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China continues to lead in AI deployment. In 2025, the bank implements the “Leading AI+ Action” plan at the group level, building a trillion-parameter financial large model “ICBC Zhiyong,” supporting phased business applications. Over 500 scenarios across more than 30 business areas are supported by large models.

Construction Bank has built an AI application system, with large models enabling 398 scenarios across the group. It has also deeply integrated AI technology into customer managers’ workflows, creating multiple domain-specific intelligent agents. Intelligent risk control has achieved full-process AI-based credit approval, with an intelligent rating system launched, significantly improving risk identification accuracy.

Agricultural Bank of China continues to optimize AI computing power, models, and scenario operations, creating a shared “Agricultural Bank Zhì+” platform for the entire bank, promoting large-scale “AI+” applications, and empowering business operations, risk management, and customer service through embedded, assistant, and intelligent agent AI methods.

Bank of China fully implements the “Artificial Intelligence+” initiative, formulating the “Bank of China ‘Artificial Intelligence+’ Construction Plan,” focusing on “building platforms, aggregating data, promoting applications, preventing risks, and establishing mechanisms” to drive the bank’s digital transformation. It has built over 400 intelligent assistants, deeply empowering key areas such as credit, marketing, operations, office work, customer service, and technology.

Additionally, Bank of Communications is advancing the “Artificial Intelligence+” initiative, with over 2,500 AI intelligent agents deployed, covering key scenarios such as precise marketing and risk prevention, improving operational efficiency and service quality simultaneously. Postal Savings Bank’s AI capabilities have entered stage 2.0, with large models covering more than 260 application scenarios across front, middle, and back offices, and 10 major categories with 24 general AI capabilities open to branches.

Recently, the management of several major state-owned banks held performance briefing sessions for 2025, with many executives emphasizing that deepening AI, systematizing, and scaling applications remain the focus for this year. For example, Zhao Guide, Vice President of ICBC, stated at the 2025 performance release that building “Smart ICBC” is a key task this year. The bank will continue to implement the “Leading AI+” initiative to enhance digital intelligence momentum.

Tian Lihui noted that current AI applications in major state-owned banks show three characteristics: first, the scale of computing infrastructure supports model training; second, talent structures are optimized; third, application scenarios are expanding from risk control and marketing to core businesses like credit approval and wealth management.

As AI applications gradually enter a phase of large-scale value realization, these banks face new challenges and issues alongside the benefits of technological dividends.

“Banks need to pay special attention to AI security issues when promoting AI technology, including data privacy protection and risks from malicious or gray-area uses of AI,” said Du Juan, senior researcher at the Su Commercial Bank Research Institute, in an interview with Securities Daily.