How Xiamen Bank Leverages Technology to Reshape Business Models and Advance Digital Intelligence

1. Anchoring Digital Transformation Direction

Since 2018, Xiamen Bank has issued successive digital transformation strategies. The 2018‑2020 plan positioned digitalization as a catalyst for business change and defined four initiatives: online product services, internet‑driven business innovation, operational process digitization, and intelligent management. The 2021‑2023 plan elevated digital technology to one of three core drivers, emphasizing data‑centric, technology‑enabled innovation. The 2024‑2026 plan, released in 2023, targets structural optimization, quality‑first efficiency, safety, distinctiveness, and flexible mechanisms, aiming for balanced qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth. In 2024, a new three‑year roadmap under the theme “Fusion‑Driven Creation” integrated information‑technology development, data governance, and application planning to solidify the transformation foundation.

2. Deepening FinTech as a Business Partner

To amplify technology’s impact on business, the bank embedded three technology centers—company, retail, and financial markets—into corresponding business units, establishing a “technology‑deployment” mechanism. IT resources and permissions were shifted to business lines, allowing business‑responsible presidents to allocate resources according to strategic direction, thereby improving IT resource efficiency and fully empowering front‑office operations.

3. Strengthening Digital Operations for Inclusive Finance

The bank adopted a “data + scenario + technology” approach to serve small‑and‑micro enterprises (SMEs). It launched a “inclusive finance loan factory” with an integrated, digital, intelligent management system, offering online application, automatic approval, self‑service disbursement, and repayment—achieving “instant approval and loan”. Products such as supply‑chain loans, mortgage loans, and knowledge‑based loans were introduced. The supply‑chain finance platform leveraged IoT and big‑data to integrate logistics, information, and capital flows, covering order, inventory, and receivable financing across upstream and downstream scenarios. A green supply‑chain finance service (“惠农贷”) supported the dairy supply chain, earning provincial innovation awards.

4. Channel Integration and Process Reengineering

Customer‑centric channel upgrades combined physical and digital touchpoints. Smart branch initiatives introduced intelligent workflows and devices, achieving a 70% business‑process integration rate. Standardized account‑opening procedures reduced in‑branch handling time, boosting efficiency by 2–3×. All branches reached 100% smartization. Remote video counters enabled services such as Taiwan‑resident ID updates and debit‑card activation, merging the warmth of face‑to‑face service with online speed. The video‑counter solution won the People’s Bank of China 2023 Financial Technology Development Award (third prize) and was listed among Fujian’s fintech regulatory innovations.

5. AI and RPA for Operational Efficiency

Since March 2021, the bank’s “RPA + AI” digital‑employee program has deployed over 60 bots—including intelligent operation robots, inquiry‑letter review robots, and financial‑statement parsing robots—across front, middle, and back offices of 85 institutions. By the end of 2024, automated processes exceeded 430,000 executions, processing over 7.48 million files, saving more than 1,789 person‑months of labor and 3.92 million sheets of paper, with an ROI of approximately 9. Concurrently, the bank piloted open‑source large models such as DeepSeek‑R‑70B and Tongyi Qianwen for regulatory interpretation, document polishing, training design, and code unit testing. The strategy favors a “breadth‑first, small‑step‑fast‑run” rollout, focusing on daily‑work scenarios to quickly demonstrate value and foster a culture where employees become “scenario discoverers” and “scenario innovators”.

6. Building a Cross‑Strait Financial Cooperation Model

As the first mainland city‑commercial bank with Taiwanese investment background, Xiamen Bank created a comprehensive cross‑strait financial ecosystem. Services include the “Three‑Way Capital Flow” suite, the first mainland credit card for Taiwanese residents, and the “Fast Salary Transfer” online product, which won the 2021 Fujian Provincial Financial Innovation Project. Specialized products such as “Taiwan Enterprise Fast‑Service Loan”, “Taiwan Agriculture Loan”, “Cross‑Strait Collateral Financing”, and “Taiwan Business E‑Loan” address financing and settlement needs of Taiwanese enterprises. By the end of 2024, the bank served over 60,000 Taiwanese individuals and enterprises, positioning itself as a leading cross‑strait banking partner.

Looking ahead, Xiamen Bank will continue to deepen its digital transformation, reinforcing technology investment, talent development, and innovative fintech applications to drive high‑quality growth for city‑commercial banks in the evolving financial landscape.