Jing'an Build On Its Role As A Financial Hub

Invest Jing'an

This new column highlights Jing'an's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) achievements, including a better business environment, competitive industries and thriving emerging sectors. It also highlights the district's efforts to develop key industrial clusters and the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) to create a modern industrial system with a (3+3) + (1+3+X) framework. The "Invest Jing'an" section highlights the district's efforts in this area.

More than 100 financial professionals from China and overseas attended the Global Asset Management Forum·2026 Shanghai Suhewan Conference in Jing'an this month.

Held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on October 16 and 17, the conference brought together financial executives, investors and other industry professionals to discuss the opening of China's financial sector, artificial intelligence and asset management, and investment and trade in a changing global economy.

Participants also launched an initiative to develop a shared computing platform for financial institutions. The platform lets institutions share computing resources to lower computing infrastructure costs and accelerate financial industry AI adoption.

The Suhewan Conference, now in its seventh year, brings together financial institutions, investors, technology companies, and industrial groups to discuss new investment and business opportunities.

During China's 14th Five-Year Plan period from 2021 to 2025, the value added of Jing'an's financial sector grew at an average annual rate of 6.8 percent to nearly 60 billion yuan (US$8.4 billion), according to local authorities.

The district has attracted a growing mix of domestic and international financial institutions, including AllianceBernstein, Schroders Bank of Communications Wealth Management, and True Light (Shanghai) Private Equity.

The Nanjing Road W. area, home to Jing'an Kerry Center, Plaza 66 and HKRI Taikoo Hui, has also emerged as a major private equity hub. More than 100 yuan- and dollar-denominated funds operate in the area, where major investment and M&A deals are negotiated and completed.

A broader financial ecosystem

For financial institutions, Jing'an's appeal lies in three areas in particular: capital-market services, asset management and private equity investment.

It has expanded financial services for companies across their growth cycle, from early-stage financing to preparations for public listings. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, 12 companies in the district have been newly listed or admitted to trading, including the first Jing'an companies to list on the Shanghai STAR Market.

State-backed capital is also helping the district attract private investment in emerging industries. Local authorities say its state-owned investment platforms have invested in nearly 40 funds and projects with 5 billion yuan in committed capital, attracting nearly 66 billion yuan in private capital.

Large language models, open-source AI ecosystems, blockchain, and other emerging industries have received investment beyond domestic graphics processing units and embodied AI.

Private equity activity has also remained strong. In the first three quarters of this year, Jing'an received applications for 42 new funds with a combined target size of about 7.4 billion yuan, according to local authorities. Both were records for the district.

Cross-border business is another area of growth. As Chinese companies expand overseas, demand is rising for cross-border financing, overseas investment, global cash management and related professional services. International investors are also paying closer attention to opportunities in yuan-denominated assets.

Jing'an has stepped up international outreach this year, including exchanges with businesses and investors in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and New York. The district is expanding services for overseas investment and cross-border fund management through mechanisms including free-trade accounts and overseas direct investment accounts.

It is also creating a taxation, legal, and HR one-stop platform for international companies. The first cross-border data service center in central Shanghai helps companies comply with data-compliance requirements across markets.