【Premium Interview】Acting as a "Financial Chain Leader" to Activate Industrial Chain Dynamics——An Interview with Wen Zhijun, President of China Construction Bank Shandong Branch

Originally from: Xinhua Finance

Xinhua Finance Economy, March 18 — (Reporter Jia Yunpeng) The 19 flagship industrial chains in Shandong, including electronic information, deep-sea aerospace, and integrated circuits, gather over 90% of the province’s above-scale industrial enterprises. They are a key focus for Shandong in cultivating new productive forces. Since last year, the Shandong Provincial Financial Office and the Shandong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology have focused on the entire supply chain and lifecycle financial needs of these 19 flagship industrial chains. They have established a long-term industry-finance collaboration mechanism featuring “one ‘financial chain leader’ + N cooperative financial institutions” for each chain, regularly conducting multi-mode, multi-scenario, multi-channel industry-finance matching.

Wen Zhijun, President of the Shandong Branch of China Construction Bank, said in an exclusive interview that as the “financial chain leader” for the electronic information, modern food, and biomanufacturing flagship chains, CCB will leverage its full licensing, multifunctional, and comprehensive operational advantages to promote synchronized development of capital and industrial chains, precisely allocate financial resources to key and weak links in the industrial chain, and inject strong financial momentum into Shandong’s industrial economy’s “number one project.”

Reporter: How does the Shandong Branch of CCB empower flagship industrial chains through the “financial chain leader” mechanism?

Wen Zhijun: Establishing the “financial chain leader” work mechanism in Shandong is an important measure to enable high-quality industrial chain development through high-quality financial services and to accelerate the cultivation of a modern industrial system. It also provides a platform for financial institutions to deeply participate in the integration of the innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain, and talent chain. CCB in Shandong fully utilizes its full licensing, multifunctional, and comprehensive operational advantages, focusing on improving the quality of the industrial chain, breaking through the innovation chain, integrating the capital chain, and activating the talent chain. We have built a “1+2+N” financial chain leader work system, shifting financial services from traditional single-point support to full-chain connectivity, upgrading from simple credit support to “financing + intelligence” services. By leveraging finance, we aim to gather various resources into the industrial chain, ensuring that financial “living water” precisely irrigates every business entity on the chain, and actively serve the real economy.

In serving flagship industrial chains, CCB in Shandong strives to fulfill four roles: first, as a pioneer in industry chain finance, providing no less than 200 billion yuan in credit support for the two flagship chains; second, as an innovator in industry chain financing, developing new financing models, evaluation systems, and dedicated products; third, as a resource integrator, empowering enterprises, industries, and investment promotion; and fourth, as an ecosystem builder, offering comprehensive services including equity, loans, bonds, insurance, and leasing.

Reporter: What specific innovations has the Shandong Branch of CCB implemented in supporting flagship industrial chains?

Wen Zhijun: Specifically, CCB in Shandong has advanced support in three areas: innovative services, resource integration, and financing + intelligence.

First, innovative services to address urgent enterprise needs. We’ve innovated financing models to make credit “transferable.” By connecting information flow, capital flow, and logistics within the industrial chain, we convert transaction data into credit assets, allowing upstream SMEs to obtain financing based solely on orders. Currently, the supply chain financing balance at CCB in Shandong exceeds 58 billion yuan. We’ve also developed an evaluation system that makes technology “liquidable.” We pioneered a credit evaluation system combining “technology flow” and “investment flow,” where patents and innovation capabilities become “credit cards,” enabling over 80% of tech companies in the province to gain enhanced credit ratings, with total tech loan balances reaching 300 billion yuan. Additionally, we’ve created dedicated products to better serve industry needs. For example, to address seasonal funding shortages in grain processing and storage, we innovated the “grain storage loan,” supporting companies like Zibo Pear Blossom Flour Industry in solving storage financing issues, turning grain into “liquid assets.”

Second, resource integration to strengthen the industrial chain. We analyze industry relationships and activate customer resources to accurately introduce orders to chain enterprises, guiding resource empowerment. We’ve established three AIC equity investment funds with provincial and municipal investment companies and chain-leading enterprises’ industrial capital to channel resources into industries. Using the “CCB Global Matchmaker” platform, we’ve held over 30 cross-border matchmaking events; through the M&A transaction matchmaking platform, we’ve coordinated with the M&A Association to provide eight target resources, guiding resource empowerment for investment attraction.

Third, financing + intelligence to build a new ecosystem of financial services. We go beyond traditional banking, leveraging CCB Group’s comprehensive financial service advantages, collaborating with venture capital, securities, insurance, guarantee companies, and others to establish investor alliances and create integrated services for equity, loans, bonds, insurance, and leasing. We’ve built a “Circle Chain Group” service ecosystem and formed strategic partnerships with specialized industrial parks. For example, serving a leading enterprise in a certain chain, we provided differentiated, comprehensive services, issuing the region’s first tech innovation M&A loan, helping the company issue the first tech innovation bonds in the region, jointly establishing an equity investment fund, and innovating online supply chain financing models, effectively supporting the high-quality development of chain-leading enterprises.

Reporter: How will the CCB Shandong Branch further deepen “financial chain leader” services to support high-quality development in Shandong?

Wen Zhijun: We will focus on three areas: first, expanding coverage and improving quality. Building on the ongoing support for two leading flagship chains, we will extend financial support to more key industrial chains, ensuring “solutions for every chain and full coverage on the chain.” Second, innovating and deepening. We will continuously iterate products and services based on market needs, creating comprehensive industry service plans like “Smart Manufacturing.” Third, upgrading the ecosystem. Relying on CCB Group’s full licensing advantages, we will broadly gather various industry chain investment and financing resources, using finance to help Shandong build a modern industrial system with global competitiveness, contributing CCB’s strength to the province’s economic leadership.

Editor: Xing Lisha