Bank begins developing strong AI talent

Several Chinese financial institutions have recently launched special recruitment programs for high-level artificial intelligence talent, accelerating their expansion into the financial AI field. This trend highlights the growing urgency for the banking industry to become more digital and intelligent.

The latest hiring efforts are focused on core areas such as large-scale language model development, AI application deployment, and technology architecture planning. Application requirements have been significantly increased, with most positions requiring a PhD from an internationally renowned university, work experience at a leading institution abroad, and demonstrated expertise in LLM development, deep learning frameworks, and other advanced AI technologies.

Yang Haiping, a researcher at the Shanghai-based SIFL Institute, said the large-scale recruitment of top AI talent is an important step for banks looking to gain first-mover advantages in AI applications and upgrade their digital financial strategies. This move will accelerate intelligent innovation in banking operations and management, rebuild the industry’s technology base and core competitiveness, and fundamentally change the approach to talent development in the sector.

Bank of Communications is recruiting a senior AI expert for its Financial Technology Department and FinTech Innovation Institute. Applicants are expected to have a PhD from a globally recognized university and at least three years of relevant experience at a major financial institution or international organization abroad. Preference will be given to candidates with a background in AI, data mining, or computer vision, strong expertise in machine learning, deep learning, graph algorithms, and experience in AI strategic planning or generative AI model development at large institutions.

Bank of China is recruiting for AI planning and research positions in its fintech department at its head office. This role will be primarily responsible for developing the lender’s AI framework and facilitating the integration of AI technology into its core operations. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in AI R&D at a leading global technology company, an AI center at a major financial institution, or a top AI research institute. The position also has a focus on technology and financial integration, and requires at least 5 years of fintech experience and familiarity with banking, risk and compliance requirements.

Guangfa Bank of China also recently opened an AI-related position at its headquarters to focus on forward-looking research and commercialization of LLM. Candidates are expected to be proficient in cutting-edge technologies such as LLM and multimodal systems. This position is open only to PhD holders with at least 3 years of experience in internationally recognized companies or foreign financial institutions and graduates from reputed universities abroad.

Gao Zhenyang, a special researcher at Jiangsu China Merchants Bank, said financial institutions are in fierce competition for top AI talent as AI technology is rapidly penetrating all aspects of banking operations such as risk management, marketing, operations and customer service. Our experts with cutting-edge technical expertise can help banks build their own controllable AI systems to support the intelligent upgrade of their businesses.

Gao said this year’s AI recruitment efforts reflect the banking sector’s strategic ambition to leverage AI to fundamentally restructure banking operations. As competition shifts from traditional business capabilities to data management and intelligent decision-making, banks increasingly need multidisciplinary professionals with both advanced algorithmic expertise and a deep understanding of financial services.

A PwC report released in March found that more than 75% of financial institutions surveyed in the banking, insurance and wealth management sectors in mainland China and Hong Kong plan to position AI over the next three to five years as a “strategic transformation engine” to revolutionize and expand existing services, or as a “new revenue pillar” that will generate new revenue streams through innovative services.

Looking forward, Tian Lihui, a finance professor at Nankai University, said the demand for AI talent in the banking industry will follow three major trends. One is that talent shortages will increasingly focus on hybrid professionals who combine business expertise with algorithmic skills. AI-related positions will gradually expand from headquarters to branch networks and subsidiaries. AI governance and compliance positions will become a key requirement across industries.

Mr. Tian said that in the long term, banks need to establish a sustainable human resources development system, optimize performance evaluation mechanisms and allow enough time for technology improvements.

AI has already penetrated almost every aspect of banking in China.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has deployed more than 500 AI application scenarios across more than 30 business areas, and China Construction Bank’s AI applications cover nearly 400 scenarios, leveraging AI to enhance the entire credit approval process. Bank of Communications is enhancing AI applications in areas such as cross-border trade, asset management, and digital transformation of retail banking, and its intelligent computing capacity will increase by more than 50% year-on-year in 2025.

The demand for technical experts is rapidly increasing. The total number of technical talent employed by China’s six largest state-owned commercial banks increased from more than 111,100 at the end of 2024 to more than 135,800 by the end of 2025, a 22% year-on-year increase and significantly outpacing the change in staffing levels across banks.

Dong Simiao, chief economist at Merchants Union Consumer Finance and deputy director of Shanghai Financial Development Research Institute, said China still faces a significant shortage of fintech talent, and there is still a clear mismatch between university training programs and industry needs.

Dong said major financial institutions should take the lead in technology development and application, while sharing spare capacity and human resources. Smaller institutions must partner with large financial institutions and technology companies to accelerate the integration of technology and business operations.

He suggested that financial institutions foster an open and inclusive culture that allows for experimentation and failure, and build inclusive talent ecosystems through hiring and promotion mechanisms.

Dong said banks should ensure that chief information officers are given clear responsibilities, authority and resources. At the same time, AI-related risks must be fully integrated into enterprise-wide risk management frameworks and comprehensive measures to prevent and address risks must be adopted.