City Commercial Banks Drive AI Adoption Through Major Bids

Amid rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, China's city commercial banks are making significant investments in large model technologies. Recent procurement data reveals over 10 regional banks have launched tenders for AI projects, marking a strategic shift toward intelligent financial services.

Million-Yuan Investments in Applied AI

Notable examples include:

• Beibu Gulf Bank's undisclosed budget for an Intelligent Computing Platform project (previous winning bid: ¥3.58 million)
• Shengjing Bank and Guiyang Bank both initiating multi-million-yuan tenders

Industry analysts note these mid-sized institutions primarily target application-layer implementations, with typical investments ranging ¥2-6 million. This contrasts with state-owned banks' billion-yuan foundational model developments.

Strategic Focus Areas

The bidding projects concentrate on:

1. Process optimization for existing financial services
2. Operational efficiency improvements
3. Customer experience enhancements

"These measured investments deliver strong ROI," explains FinTech analyst Li Wei. "They boost brand perception while tangibly improving service throughput - crucial during branch network upgrades."

Major Banks Lead in Comprehensive Deployments

While city banks pursue targeted applications, industry giants like China Construction Bank have already implemented large models across:

• AI-powered customer service systems
• Precision marketing algorithms
• Advanced risk control frameworks

Their initiatives aim not just for efficiency gains but also new revenue streams through AI-enabled products.

Industry Outlook

The 2025 China Banking Large Model Application Report indicates:

• Transition from pilot testing to multi-scenario implementations
• Growing adoption across bank tiers
• Emerging capability frameworks integrating various AI modules

"We're witnessing the dawn of intelligent banking," remarks Tsinghua University's Prof. Zhang. "Within 3 years, AI integration will become table stakes for competitiveness."

Key Points

• 10+ city banks actively bidding for AI projects
• Typical ¥2-6 million investment range for applied solutions
• Major banks pursuing billion-yuan foundational models
• Industry shifting from pilots to production deployments
• Customer service and risk management as primary use cases