Central Bank Sets New Focus: Financial Support for AI Industry Development

During the opening ceremony of the 2026 Financial Street Forum Annual Conference, People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng delivered a significant speech. He clearly stated that the rapid global development of artificial intelligence is now exerting a profound influence on multiple critical economic domains, including productivity, investment patterns, employment structures, income distribution, and financial stability.

Assessing the AI Transformation from a Macro Perspective

Pan Gongsheng emphasized that the PBOC will continuously monitor and evaluate the potential systemic impacts of AI development from a macro-prudential management standpoint. This goes beyond mere technological interest, representing a forward-looking grasp of the overall economic and financial landscape. The central bank aims to ensure the financial system maintains sufficient resilience and stability while supporting technological innovation.

Concrete Directions for Financial Support to the AI Sector

Regarding how to effectively provide financial support, the central bank outlined several key pathways:

  • Financing Channel Innovation: Guide financial institutions to develop credit products and service models suitable for AI companies at different growth stages, particularly offering targeted support for early-stage R&D and core technology breakthroughs.
  • Capital Market Integration: Improve the multi-tiered capital market system to help eligible AI firms secure long-term funding through listings, bond issuances, and other means.
  • Venture Capital Guidance: Encourage and regulate venture capital and private equity investments flowing into the artificial intelligence field, fostering deep integration between technological innovation and capital.

"Prudent Promotion" of AI Applications in Finance

When addressing the application of AI within the financial industry itself, Pan Gongsheng notably used the phrase "prudent promotion." This reflects a principle balancing caution with innovation. It is expected that the PBOC will encourage financial institutions to explore AI applications in areas such as intelligent risk control, automated compliance monitoring, personalized financial services, algorithmic trading optimization, and customer service enhancement, all within a controllable risk framework. Concurrently, relevant technical standards, ethical guidelines, and regulatory frameworks will be refined to ensure safe, reliable, and fair implementation.

This statement marks the financial regulatory authorities' positioning of support for the AI industry as a systematic project. It is not only a necessary response to technological transformation but also a crucial move to advance supply-side structural reform in finance and cultivate new quality productive forces. The interactive and symbiotic relationship between the financial system and the AI industry is set to become increasingly紧密 in the future.