On October 19, during the 2025 North Bund International Shipping Forum, Yang Tao, Vice President of the Bank of Communications, stated that China's shipping industry is innovating and advancing continuously, with a new quality of productivity rapidly emerging, and the level of the Shanghai International Shipping Center continuously elevating. The accelerated formation of new productive forces within the shipping sector and the comprehensive development of the Shanghai International Shipping Center provide crucial support for international trade development and inject new momentum into China's high-level opening-up, establishing new advantages. Yang noted that in the first half of this year, China's shipbuilding completion volume and new orders accounted for 52% and 68% of the global totals, respectively, with new orders for green vessels making up 69% of the global total. In particular, China has historically gathered the three "crowning jewels" of the shipbuilding sector: large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, large cruise ships, and aircraft carriers. Additionally, the Yangshan Deep-Water Port operates with world-leading efficiency, maintaining the top position in global port connectivity indices and attracting all elements of the shipping industry, including the headquarters of internationally renowned container shipping companies and branches of major global classification societies, forming a shipping industry cluster worth hundreds of billions. Yang emphasized that as the only state-owned large bank headquartered in Shanghai, the Bank of Communications has a responsibility to provide shipping financial services and support the construction of the Shanghai International Shipping Center. This is not only a duty but also a strategic pivot for enhancing Shanghai's competitive edge and promoting the bank's own high-quality development.
It is reported that first, the Bank of Communications embraces the trend of green transformation, enhancing the supply of green financial services for shipping. "We actively respond to the green transformation demands of the shipping industry, focusing on financing for LNG-powered vessels, methanol-powered vessels, and other green, low-carbon ships. We also participated in formulating the country's first financial standards for the transformation of the waterborne transport industry," Yang stated. The bank’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Bank of Communications Financial Leasing, is the world's largest financial shipowner, with over half of its shipping lease placements in the last three years involving ships that meet regulatory criteria for green vessels.
Secondly, the bank is adapting to the trend of digital development to enhance its financial intelligence level in shipping. The rapid advancement of global information technology has stimulated digital transformations in ports and shipping, with continuous innovations in smart terminals, intelligent navigation vessels, and the maritime platform economy. Yang mentioned that the bank actively employs technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain to integrate logistics, information flow, and capital flow data within shipping scenarios, enhancing the online and automated level of its shipping financial services. It has innovatively launched a series of contextual financial solutions, such as "Shipping Butler" (COSCO version), to help shipping businesses reduce costs and increase efficiency. The bank is also actively participating in the establishment of a digital platform for Shanghai's shipping trade, having introduced services such as re-loans for trade credit letters and supply chain financing for bulk commodities. Additionally, it has developed the "Bank of Communications Shipping Trade Link" platform to provide full-process online cross-border financial services for small and micro foreign trade clients.
Thirdly, the Bank of Communications seizes opportunities in intelligent high-end manufacturing to support the upgrading of the shipping industry. In recent years, there have been continuous advancements in technologies such as intelligent navigation, smart engine rooms, and intelligent cargo management. Yang indicated that the bank is empowering high-end ship manufacturing through finance, increasing financing support for intelligent vessels, autonomous vessels, and high-tech ships. Notably, Bank of Communications Financial Leasing, leveraging a "financing plus asset management" business model, strongly supports the development of the ship manufacturing industry, having collaborated with domestic shipyards on new shipbuilding projects totaling over 100 billion yuan, and holding more than 450 vessels, with a shipping asset balance exceeding 150 billion yuan. Yang added that moving forward, the Bank of Communications will continue to thoroughly implement the national strategy for building a strong maritime nation and systematically enhance shipping financial services. This includes firmly rooting itself in Shanghai, prioritizing services for the construction of the Shanghai International Shipping Center to improve financial service capabilities; leveraging its comprehensive operating advantage with full license coverage to provide integrated financial services like equity, loan, debt, and leasing for upstream and downstream enterprises; and enhancing its digital operational capabilities, focusing on shipping financial scenario development, continuously exploring technology empowerment, and creating efficient and convenient one-stop financial services for cross-border settlement, financing, and risk control.