The importance of digital transformation for banking operations is self-evident. The deployment of digital talent is a key focus, with adjustments at the top leadership level, particularly the Chief Information Officer (CIO), often indicating a bank's digital direction. In 2025, several banks saw changes in the leadership of their technology divisions.

Three major state-owned banks witnessed the departure of their technology division leaders, with the CIOs of China Construction Bank (CCB) and Bank of China (BOC) resigning successively.

On April 21, CCB's former CIO Jin Panshi resigned due to age. Born in 1965, Jin had served as CCB's CIO since March 2021, holding the position for four years until retirement. Previously, he held various roles including Deputy General Manager of the Audit Department, Deputy Director of the Board of Supervisors Office, General Manager of the Audit Department, General Manager of the IT Management Department, and Information Director.

Subsequently, in August 2025, Lei Ming, Chairman of CCB Fintech, was transferred to the head office to serve as a Vice President of the bank.

The CIO position at CCB is currently vacant. Future adjustments to the bank's senior technology leadership—whether a new CIO will be appointed or if the newly promoted Vice President Lei Ming will assume additional responsibilities—warrants close attention.

On June 30, BOC's former CIO Meng Qian resigned due to age.

Born in 1965, Meng Qian had a 38-year career at BOC, serving as General Manager of the Information Center, General Manager of the Data Center, General Manager of the Software Center, General Manager of the Information Technology Department, Director of the Enterprise Architecture Construction Office, General Manager of the Fintech Department, and General Manager of the Business R&D Department.

Notably, Meng Qian had taken on new responsibilities just months before her resignation.

In early 2025, BOC restructured several head office departments. Within the technology division, the former "Information Technology Department" was renamed the "Fintech Department"; the "Scenario Ecosystem and Innovation Department" and the "Enterprise Architecture Construction Office" were abolished and consolidated into a new "Business R&D Department."

Meng Qian was concurrently serving as the General Manager of both the newly adjusted Fintech Department and the Business R&D Department at that time.

This means that following Meng Qian's departure, the leadership positions for BOC's overall technology division and several key technology departments at the head office are vacant. Personnel changes within the bank's technology division may become more frequent in the future.

Additionally, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), another major state-owned bank, also saw its technology division leader depart in 2025.

ICBC does not have a designated CIO position; its technology division was led by its former Chief Technology Officer, Lü Zhongtao, who left by the end of 2025.

Born in August 1965, Lü Zhongtao previously held positions including Deputy General Manager of the Information Technology Department, General Manager of the Software Development Center, General Manager of the Information Technology Department, Information Technology Business Director, and was the inaugural Chairman of ICBC Fintech.

Following the departure of several veteran technology leaders from major banks in 2025, the personnel landscape for major banks' technology divisions is set to enter an era of "new leadership" in 2026.

Concurrently, 2025 saw CIOs assuming office at numerous banks, predominantly small and medium-sized institutions.

According to incomplete statistics, 21 bank CIOs officially took office in 2025. With the exception of Huaxia Bank, the rest were all at small and medium-sized banks.

Many of these banks recruited their CIOs externally. These include Gong Weihua at Huaxia Bank, Yi Yongfeng at Beijing Rural Commercial Bank, Li Yaguang at Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank, Wang Fenghui at Xiamen International Bank, Wen Geng at Liaoshen Bank, and Teng Hongwei at Xinjiang Bank, among others.

Huaxia Bank's CIO Gong Weihua, born in February 1971, was previously a long-term employee of Bank of Beijing. He joined Bank of Beijing in March 1998 and held various positions there until his appointment as CIO of Huaxia Bank, including General Manager of the System Operations Department, President of the Nanjing Branch, General Manager of the Corporate Banking Department, and Chief Information Officer at Bank of Beijing. Prior to his appointment as CIO at Huaxia Bank, he served as Director of the Core System Construction Office at Huaxia Bank.

Xiamen International Bank's CIO Wang Fenghui is an externally recruited executive, having previously served as General Manager of the Online Finance Department at Dalian Bank and Deputy General Manager of Tencent Financial Cloud.

Liaoshen Bank's CIO Wen Geng likely originates from China Merchants Bank (CMB), and may have previously served as General Manager of the Information Technology Department at CMB's Shenyang Branch.

Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank's CIO Li Yaguang is also an externally recruited executive and also serves as the bank's Vice President and Chief Data Officer.

Born in November 1967, Li has deep roots in Guangdong's banking sector, having held technology-related leadership roles at Guangzhou City Credit Cooperative and Guangzhou City Commercial Bank. His career includes positions as a technician at Nanjing Jinshan Electric Company; various tech roles at Guangzhou City Credit Cooperative; and roles such as Section Chief, Deputy General Manager, General Manager of the Card Department, General Manager of the Personal Banking Department, Branch President, and General Manager of the Technology R&D Department at Guangzhou City Commercial Bank (now Guangzhou Bank); and later as Assistant President and Vice President of Guangzhou Bank.

Xinjiang Bank's CIO Teng Hongwei, who began serving as Assistant President (Aid-Xinjiang posting) at Xinjiang Bank in July 2023, is another externally recruited executive with approximately 20 years of experience in CCB's technology division. His career at CCB included roles from branch staff to various managerial positions in the Information Center and Data Management Department.

Beijing Rural Commercial Bank's CIO Yi Yongfeng was previously employed in the technology division of Huaxia Bank, serving as Deputy General Manager of the Information Technology Department and Director of the Big Data Service Center.

Henan Rural Commercial Bank's CIO Zhou Yuebo was previously the Chief Architect and General Manager of the Information Technology Department at Henan Rural Commercial United Bank. He appeared in this role at a public event in November 2024. His earlier career experience is less clear. The bank had publicly recruited a CIO, but it is uncertain if he joined through that process.

On December 18, 2023, Henan Rural Commercial United Bank publicly recruited for one position each of CIO, Risk Director, and Financial Market Director. At that time, requirements for the CIO position included being under 45 years old (born after December 31, 1978) and meeting relevant experience criteria.

The specific career background of Longjiang Bank's CIO Na Qunwei is unclear. The bank had publicly recruited a CIO, and he may have been appointed through that recruitment drive.

Longjiang Bank publicly recruited a Chief Information Officer in December 2024, requiring candidates to have over 15 years of relevant information technology work experience.

Notably, Bank of Beijing may have formally designated the CIO as a senior executive for the first time. An appointment announcement in June 2025 referred to the CIO as a "senior executive," whereas previous financial reports listing "current senior executives" did not include the CIO.

Bank of Beijing's CIO Ming Lisong, born in March 1975, is a veteran in the fintech field with a long career in Bank of Beijing's information technology division, having been with the bank for 27 years. His roles included Deputy Manager of the Core System Office in Software Development, Assistant General Manager, Deputy General Manager (Acting), and General Manager of the Information Technology Management Department, and General Manager of the System Operations Center.

Furthermore, Bohai Bank appointed a new CIO at year-end, while the CIO position at China Zheshang Bank, vacant since a resignation in the first half of the year, remains unfilled. Changes in CIO positions at national banks are likely to continue.

Regarding small and medium-sized banks, nearly all CIOs officially appointed in 2025 were at such institutions. Moreover, 2025 saw many small and medium-sized banks publicly recruiting for the CIO role.

According to available information, Xiamen International Bank, Shangrao Bank, Nanchang Rural Commercial Bank, Zhengzhou Bank, Sichuan Bank, and Linshang Bank all publicly recruited CIOs in 2025.

On November 18, Linshang Bank issued a recruitment notice for one Chief Information Officer (Professional Manager). Requirements included being born after November 1, 1975, with at least 6 years of IT experience (including 4 years in senior IT management and 2 years in the financial industry).

On November 7, Sichuan Bank publicly recruited a Chief Information Officer, requiring candidates to be原则上 no older than 55, with over 6 years of IT experience (including 4 years in senior IT management and 2 years in finance).

On September 4, Zhengzhou Bank recruited a Chief Information Officer for its head office. Candidates were required to be原则上 under 52 years old (with flexibility for exceptional candidates) and have over 6 years of IT experience (including 4 years in senior IT management and 2 years in finance).

On June 27, Nanchang Rural Commercial Bank recruited for two mid-level positions: one Chief Information Officer and one Village Bank Chairman. The CIO requirement specified being under 45 (born on or after June 30, 1980) with over 6 years of IT experience (including 4 years in senior IT management and 2 years in finance).

On May 7, Shangrao Bank recruited for one Chief Information Officer and one Chief Compliance Officer. The recruitment notice required the CIO candidate to be under 45 (born after May 7, 1980) with over 6 years of IT experience (including 4 years in senior IT management and 2 years in finance).

On January 9, Xiamen International Bank published a recruitment notice for a Head Office CIO, emphasizing that applicants should be under 55 for males and under 50 for females.

It is worth noting that Xiamen International Bank's CIO candidate has been confirmed, which is the aforementioned Wang Fenghui.

Earlier, in 2024 and 2023, several regional banks also publicly recruited CIOs, including Bank of Changsha, Sichuan Tianfu Bank, Ganzhou Bank, Longjiang Bank, Qinghai Provincial Rural Credit Union, Heilongjiang Provincial Rural Credit Union, Jiangxi Provincial Rural Credit Union, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Rural Credit Union, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Rural Credit Union, Bank of Inner Mongolia, Changjiang Bank, Bank of Tianjin, and Henan Rural Commercial United Bank. Among these, the CIO positions at Longjiang Bank and Henan Rural Commercial Bank were also filled in 2025.