The Eighth Digital Inclusive Finance Conference for 2026, themed "Digital Intelligence Safeguarding, Light of Hope Journeying Together – 'United for Enterprise' Empowering High-Quality Development of SMEs," was successfully held at CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 25. CITIC Bank served as a co-organizer for the event.
The conference aligned closely with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's "United for Enterprise" SME service initiative. It focused on key areas such as innovative applications of digital inclusive finance, the construction of a computing power finance ecosystem, and collaboration between industry, academia, and research in fintech. The event provided in-depth analysis of industry trends through various formats, including showcases, keynote reports, and thematic discussions, aiming to enhance the quality development of small and micro-enterprises. The launch of several initiatives took place concurrently, including a collaborative innovation platform for digital finance, two specific safeguarding plans for digital and computing power finance, and the 2026 "Data Elements x Financial Services" competition. The conference also released case studies showcasing digital finance achievements for the year. A dedicated exhibition booth for CITIC Bank was set up to comprehensively display the bank's innovative approaches in leveraging fintech to empower small businesses and its measures and outcomes in implementing key strategic focus areas.
As a co-organizer, CITIC Bank delivered a special address, emphasizing its steadfast commitment to serving the real economy, driving digital and intelligent integration, and upholding the principle of collaborative success for the common good. Building on this foundation, the bank pledged to continue strengthening collaborative data-sharing networks, fostering incubators for digital intelligence capability upgrades, and building a trustworthy and secure ecosystem. It aims to work hand-in-hand with small and micro-enterprises to jointly promote the high-quality development of inclusive finance.
In recent years, CITIC Bank has thoroughly implemented directives to advance inclusive finance, adhering to its mission of serving SMEs. Guided by its digital and intelligent transformation, the bank has dedicated efforts to building its "CITIC Easy Loan Digital Intelligence Service System." This system was awarded second prize in the national finals of the 2025 "Data Elements x" competition. By the end of the first quarter of 2026, the bank's inclusive finance loan balance reached 657.5 billion yuan, representing a more than fourfold increase over seven years. The number of loan customers reached 315,000, a more than threefold increase over the same period, with cumulative inclusive finance lending exceeding 2 trillion yuan over seven years.
Moving forward, CITIC Bank will continue to embody the political and people-oriented nature of financial work, intensify support for the real economy, and act as a steadfast partner for SMEs on their growth journey. Leveraging the outstanding outcomes of this conference, the bank will deepen its focus on the specialized fields of digital intelligence finance and computing power finance. It will collaborate with industry-academia-research platforms to continually innovate inclusive service models, using the vitality of digital intelligence finance to empower the high-quality development of small and micro-enterprises.