Banks have invested heavily in cloud infrastructure, digital platforms and artificial intelligence, yet lending operations in many institutions remain slow and fragmented. Will Jung, Chief Technology Officer at nCino, explains why technology investment alone does not transform banking and how operating models, unified data and applied AI must evolve together.

Discussions at the Shanghai International AI Finance Summit 2026 highlighted how Chinese banks are using AI to address structural constraints in SME lending — Jiangsu Su Merchants Bank by industrialising its internal credit workflow, and SPD Bank by restructuring its institutional model to reduce borrower uncertainty before lending begins. Early portfolio indicators look stable, although the risk-adjusted case is still being written.

Zhang Weizhong, Chairman at Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, was recognised as the Retail Finance Leader of the Year in Asia Pacific for 2026 at the TAB Global Excellence in Retail Finance Awards, in Shanghai, China. He leads the bank's digital and intelligent transformation, driving growth in retail assets under management and expanding financial services for over 171 million customers.

China’s economy faces a structural demand contraction. Policymakers are unwilling to resolve it through quantitative easing. The bet is that strategic patience, not aggressive stimulus, creates more durable space for growth. It is a defensible position — but it requires the kind of patience that markets and citizens find hard to sustain.

First Abu Dhabi Bank reported 24% net profit growth and improved operating efficiency, as revenue expansion and disciplined cost management reduced the cost-to-income ratio to 22.4%, reflecting improved operating leverage alongside large-scale AI deployment.

The Asian Banker Shanghai International AI Finance Summit examined how financial institutions are beginning to industrialise AI across customer engagement, enterprise technology infrastructure and knowledge-driven capability systems that combine human expertise with institutional knowledge.

Alipay leads the 2026 TABInsights World’s Best Financial Platforms Ranking with scale and ecosystem depth, while Revolut shows expansion through customer and multi-service growth. Ecosystem integration, artificial intelligence, local adaptation and regulatory compliance underpin growth and competitive advantage.

Discussions at The Asian Banker Shanghai International AI Finance Summit highlighted how artificial intelligence may transform financial operations, particularly risk management, while raising new questions about governance, explainability and institutional responsibility.

Bank of China (Hong Kong) leads the 2026 TAB Global World’s Best Retail Banks Ranking, ahead of Emirates NBD and First Abu Dhabi Bank, as banks globally shift toward targeted digital investment to convert deposit strength into fee income.

Day 3 of the Shanghai AI Innovation Study Tour and Retreat moved the discussion from the visible surface of artificial intelligence into the harder operational questions underneath it. 

At the Shanghai International AI Finance Summit 2026, economist Zhang Jun and artificial intelligence systems researcher Lin Yonghua argued that China’s shift towards productivity-led growth and intelligent infrastructure will shape the next phase of banking.

Bank of China HK, Nedbank, Standard Chartered HK, WeBank and UOB were recognised for outstanding contributions to retail banking, digital finance, SME banking and wealth management at The TAB Global Excellence in Retail Finance Awards.

Digital banks are moving toward more structured growth, with headline growth moderating but overall expansion remaining strong. Profitability has improved, while balance-sheet management, revenue diversification and operational efficiency are increasingly central to long-term resilience.

Visits to Alibaba’s global headquarters in Hangzhou, including briefings from DingTalk and OceanBase, showed how enterprise platforms, distributed databases and artificial intelligence are supporting the next phase of digital infrastructure and enterprise transformation in China.

Visits to iFlytek, Douyin (ByteDance) and Nio illustrate how China is scaling artificial intelligence across language technology, digital platforms and mobility ecosystems.