The financial competition in the "Four-Leaf Clover": The "eighteen martial arts" of banks at the Import Expo

On November 5th, the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened in Shanghai, gathering global wisdom in the 430,000 square meter "Four Leaf Clover" exhibition hall, where 4,108 overseas enterprises showcased their latest achievements to the world.

Foreign businesses coming to China are first met with financial services.

The annual CIIE is not only a key action by China to open the golden door to high-level foreign openness and inject certainty into the turbulent global economy, but also a top "stage" for various financial institutions to compete and showcase their "secret weapons" in cross-border services.

According to incomplete statistics from Wind, this year's CIIE saw participation from dozens of institutions including Bank of China, ICBC, Bank of Communications, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank, featuring policy banks, state-owned banks, foreign banks, as well as unique joint-stock banks and rural commercial banks in the cross-border finance sector.

State-owned Banks: Full-Chain Service "Show Muscle"

On this world-class stage of the CIIE, state-owned banks showcased their "secret weapons," leveraging their strong global networks, comprehensive service capabilities, and cutting-edge digital innovations to empower this economic and trade event comprehensively, demonstrating the high level of China's cross-border financial services.

Entering the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the Bank of China's exhibition area is always bustling with activity.

As the only "strategic partner" of the CIIE, Bank of China has served the event for eight consecutive years, supporting nearly 100 overseas exhibitions and over 120 domestic investment promotion roadshows in nearly 80 countries and regions.

This year, Bank of China set up a "Cross-Border E-Commerce Zone" for the first time, showcasing its collaboration with partners such as Langhua Group, Lianlian Zhi, and Ant International, bringing the entire chain of "payment, logistics, warehousing, and retail consumption" to the exhibition stage;

The bank's upgraded "Digital RMB Hard Wallet" supports the exchange of 36 currencies and cash settlement of 33 foreign currencies, allowing on-site and designated outlets to experience "tap to pay" instant payments.

In addition to digital payments, Bank of China also shared financial technologies such as intelligent risk control in the zone, promoting mature "Chinese solutions" to the international market, becoming a reference model for many emerging economies to enhance trade facilitation.

Similarly, Bank of Communications maintained a "perfect attendance" by fully showcasing high-quality development results through the integration concept of "Finance + Technology + Scenarios."

For example, in the automotive and smart mobility exhibition area, financial technology achievements were presented through immersive interactive experiences; in the cultural tourism exhibition area, a "Cultural Tourism Grand Show" brand was created to display diverse scenarios of financial support for cultural tourism consumption.

To ensure the smooth holding of the CIIE, Bank of Communications optimized the foreign-related service process, with 45 key outlets opening "Foreign-Related Service Windows," equipped with Chinese and English guides and English-speaking staff.

While demonstrating financial service capabilities, ICBC also pioneered a trustee exhibition format at this year's CIIE to serve high-quality small and medium-sized enterprises from abroad that lack channels.

Now, ICBC has built a distinctive exhibition booth in the food and agricultural products exhibition area, assisting nearly 600 exhibitors from over 70 countries and regions, and collaborating with the CIIE Bureau to create multiple "Product Selection Meetings" and "Demand Corridors," providing exhibitors with one-stop services from display, signing to financing In terms of supporting activities, ICBC has hosted the sub-forum of the Hongqiao International Economic Forum for the fifth consecutive year, relying on the "Belt and Road" interbank cooperation mechanism (BRBR), focusing on the theme of "Financial Support for Global Supply Chain Stability and Smoothness."

Foreign Banks: Acting as "Bridges" Connecting Domestic and Foreign Markets

On the open stage set up by the China International Import Expo (CIIE), foreign banks have always played a unique role as super connectors:

They leverage their global networks and local experience to help international companies deepen their presence in the Chinese market, while also using their profound understanding of international rules and emerging markets to assist Chinese companies in going global, becoming a "two-way express lane" connecting domestic and foreign trade.

Today, foreign financial institutions view the CIIE as an important window to showcase their strategies in China. Standard Chartered, UOB, DBS, and other "old friends" have all made appearances this year, and Russia's Alfa Bank has also brought differentiated cross-border solutions.

In its eighth consecutive year of participation, "perfect attendance" Standard Chartered Bank chose to focus on core businesses such as cross-border financial services, trade financing, and sustainable finance at the expo.

Bill Winters, CEO of Standard Chartered Group, stated: "The current global trade outlook remains complex and full of uncertainties, but China's continued opening up and robust economic growth bring confidence to international investment and global cooperation."

HSBC's booth features a new hexagonal logo as the main visual inspiration, showcasing HSBC's global network and comprehensive financial solutions from multiple dimensions;

As Chinese companies embark on the 3.0 era of global industrial chain layout, HSBC also collaborated with the CIIE's Smart Supply Chain Committee to hold a roundtable discussion focusing on the latest trends of Chinese enterprises going abroad.

Wang Yunfeng, President and CEO of HSBC China, stated: "China is transforming its super-large market into a globally shared market, providing significant space for multinational companies to introduce new technologies, products, and services in China."

The booth of Singaporean financial institutions highlights the close linkage of China-Singapore economic and trade relations.

Among them, UOB focuses on the ASEAN market, showcasing customized services for cross-border e-commerce regional fund management and supply chain finance, creating a trade service hub between China and ASEAN;

It is reported that UOB can build regional fund management centers and provide cross-regional liquidity management solutions for overseas e-commerce platforms, comprehensive service providers for cross-border e-commerce, and logistics companies, offering overseas virtual account collection services for banks serving new trade formats.

DBS Bank, as the largest commercial bank in Singapore and Southeast Asia, focuses on three themes: "Fintech, Enterprises Going Abroad, and Wealth Management," concentrating on showcasing cutting-edge practices and customized solutions in empowering technology innovation enterprises, cross-border finance, and global wealth management.

Small and Medium Banks: Providing Differentiated Support Based on Advantages

Unlike the comprehensive strength of large state-owned banks and the extensive network coverage of foreign banks, a group of small and medium-sized banks that focus on regional markets and niche segments have demonstrated their unique service resilience and innovative vitality at this year's CIIE;

They do not pursue being large and comprehensive but rely on localized service advantages, agile digital capabilities, and a deep understanding of specific industries to provide differentiated and customized financial support for enterprises in the cross-border financial ecosystem As a financial enterprise rooted in Shanghai, Pudong Development Bank fully leverages its home advantage, leading with a digital intelligence strategy, and has iteratively upgraded its comprehensive financial service plan for the China International Import Expo to version 8.0.

It is reported that Pudong Development Bank has specially created a one-stop digital intelligence solution covering cross-border settlement, financing, treasury management, and ecological services in the field of cross-border finance, newly launching ten digital intelligence cross-border financial products including Cross-Border Instant Remittance and Cross-Border e-Station.

Among them, "Cross-Border Instant Remittance" and "Cross-Border Instant Letter of Credit" provide second-level cross-border remittance and automatic approval services for traditional import and export enterprises, while "Cross-Border Merchant e-Remittance" is designed specifically for the cross-border e-commerce ecosystem, enabling full online processing of sales fund automatic collection, foreign exchange, and declaration.

Shanghai Bank focuses on the core demands of domestic and foreign exhibitors, innovating with a "solution + product" dual approach to unblock cross-border transaction bottlenecks.

On one hand, it has upgraded and launched a bilingual service plan, focusing on five major areas: settlement convenience, exchange rate hedging, trade financing, innovative payments, and internal-external connectivity, adding a "Pending Purchase Foreign Exchange" service.

On the other hand, Shanghai Bank held a "Winning with Wisdom in Cross-Border Finance" service launch conference during the expo, showcasing the innovative achievements in cross-border finance.

In terms of payment convenience, Shanghai Bank has improved the online functionality of the "Travel Card" to enhance the ease of cross-border payments; offline, it has conducted special training for over 200 branches in Shanghai, focusing on strengthening service capabilities around the expo, and has distributed a bilingual "Personal Foreign Exchange Business Service Guide."

Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank officially launched two new cross-border remittance products, "Xinyixian Speedy Delivery" and "Xinyibai Currency Pass," at the eighth China International Import Expo.

It is reported that "Xinyixian Speedy Delivery" relies on deep cooperation with mainstream financial institutions in Norway and Chile to optimize the settlement process, achieving "second-level response and fast arrival" of funds;

This product specifically offers exclusive discounts for the "high-frequency, small-amount" fresh produce trade scenario, with a fee reduction of over 40% for each cross-border remittance.

Meanwhile, "Xinyibai Currency Pass" utilizes the global network of overseas clearing banks, allowing payments in over 120 currencies and direct receipts in 40 currencies through just one US dollar account, truly achieving "one service connects the world."

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