2026 Lujiazui Forum sends strong signal on China's tech finance

The 2026 Lujiazui Forum concluded on June 18 in Shanghai, with policymakers, bankers and global investors expressing broad confidence in China's technology-driven growth as well as the expanding investment opportunities in innovation-led sectors.

From capital market reforms and improvements in services for science and technology firms, to assessments of long-term foreign investment trends, speakers highlighted a shared view: China's innovation-driven sectors offer significant growth potential.

China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) will further expand access to the STAR Market for hard-tech firms, said CSRC Chairman Wu Qing. Wu noted that a new wave of technological revolution, led by artificial intelligence, is already emerging. He also said the STAR Market's fifth listing standard will be extended to the AI large model domain.

Financial institutions are adapting their own approaches to fuel this innovation. Liu Jun, president of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), said many large technology companies are now building their own internal capital markets, calling it an important trend in corporate finance and innovation funding. He also emphasized the importance of building an interactive financial platform to better understand technology enterprises.

Beyond domestic financial institutions, global financial heavyweights offered high assessments of China's tech industry. Kevin Sneader, president of Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific, said China's technological innovation has reached a turning point, adding that AI could contribute up to 8% of China's labor productivity growth over the next decade. He noted that China's current investment in AI-related fields is roughly one-tenth of that in the US, leaving substantial room for further expansion.

Gokul Laroia, CEO of Asia and co-head of global equities at Morgan Stanley, said global investor interest in China is rising, driven in part by artificial intelligence. However, he added, current capital inflows remain only a small fraction of what "should be and is needed" given the market's long-term potential.