As digital transformation plays an increasingly critical role in business operations, changes in senior technology leadership are drawing more attention. This is particularly true for small and medium-sized banks, many of which have recently recruited Chief Information Officers with backgrounds in major state-owned banks.

Recently, a new CIO appointment was confirmed at one such medium-sized bank, with the individual having a long tenure at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC).

The new Chief Information Officer at Xinwang Bank has been confirmed. The appointee was previously the Director of Information Technology and has held multiple positions within ICBC's technology division.

On February 24th, Mao Hang's qualification to serve as Chief Information Officer of Sichuan Xinwang Bank was officially approved.

According to available information, Mao Hang previously held the positions of Director of Information Technology and General Manager of the Technology Department at Xinwang Bank. In August 2025, while serving as the bank's Director of Information Technology, he shared practical experiences regarding the bank's application of artificial intelligence and large language model technologies. He outlined three key future exploration directions for Xinwang Bank in AI: deepening knowledge management, constructing an intelligent indicator system, and managing digital employees.

Subsequently, in a public speech last December, Mao Hang revealed that currently, 20% of all telemarketing calls at Xinwang Bank are handled by AI, and 60% of collection calls are completed by machines. He stated, "The empowerment from AI and the improvement in customer experience are significant. However, we are still in the '+AI' phase, a fragmented process. The next step towards a more comprehensive 'AI+' will require the re-engineering of many processes, which presents both an opportunity and a challenge for us."

Prior to joining Xinwang Bank, Mao Hang had a long career within ICBC's technology division, having worked in the Technical Support Department of ICBC's Sichuan Provincial Branch, the Zhuhai headquarters of ICBC's Software Development Center, and the Beijing R&D Department of the same center.

Xinwang Bank's 2024 annual report indicated that the CIO position was previously held concurrently by Vice President Li Xiusheng. Li Xiusheng also held multiple positions at ICBC, including Deputy Division Chief at ICBC's Beijing Municipal Branch and Deputy General Manager of the Beijing R&D Department at ICBC's Software Development Center. He also previously served as General Manager of the Information Technology Department at Beijing Rural Commercial Bank.

The formal appointment of CIOs at several small and medium-sized banks has been approved recently.

Several CIOs at small and medium-sized banks have received approval for their appointments this year. One of these banks had previously publicly recruited a CIO born after 1980.

On the same day Mao Hang received his appointment approval, Wang Yidong's position as Chief Information Officer of Rizhao Bank was also formally confirmed.

Earlier, on February 13th, Zheng Honglei's qualification to serve as Chief Information Officer of Shangrao Bank was approved.

On January 19th, Wang Chao's qualification to serve as Chief Information Officer of Langfang Bank was approved.

The specific career backgrounds of Wang Yidong, Zheng Honglei, and Wang Chao are not yet publicly clear. However, in May of last year, Shangrao Bank publicly recruited a CIO, suggesting that Zheng Honglei may have been externally recruited following that process.

On May 7, 2025, Shangrao Bank publicly recruited one Chief Information Officer and one Chief Compliance Officer.

At that time, Shangrao Bank required that CIO applicants be under 45 years of age (born after May 7, 1980), with more than six years of experience in information technology work (including more than four years in senior IT management roles and more than two years in the financial industry). The bank indicated preference for candidates who had previously held positions such as: 1) Deputy head or above in IT-related departments at the head office of a large state-owned commercial bank; 2) Head of IT-related departments at a provincial branch of a large state-owned commercial bank; 3) Head of IT-related departments or Chief Information Officer at a national joint-stock commercial bank or a listed city commercial bank.

The responsibilities for the CIO role at the bank involved IT business development, strategy, and architecture, primarily including: 1) Direct participation in business decisions related to IT application. 2) Ensuring that IT strategy, especially information system development strategy, aligned with the bank's overall business strategy and IT risk management policy. 3) Driving the improvement of the bank's IT department structure, undertaking IT management duties including budget, strategy, standards, internal controls, specialized R&D, project management, system operations and maintenance, security, disaster recovery, and outsourcing. 4) Ensuring the effectiveness and compliance of IT risk management. 5) Organizing professional training. 6) Performing other IT risk management-related tasks.

Within less than two months of the new year, several small and medium-sized banks have confirmed their CIO appointments. Behind this trend lies a notable challenge for these banks: a talent shortage in their technology divisions.

It is understood that in 2025, Xiamen International Bank, Shangrao Bank, Nanchang Rural Commercial Bank, Zhengzhou Bank, Sichuan Bank, and Linshang Bank have all publicly recruited CIOs.

Among them, the CIO candidate for Xiamen International Bank has been confirmed. The bank's CIO, Wang Fenghui, was approved on September 26, 2025. He was recruited externally and previously held positions such as General Manager of the Online Finance Department at Dalian Bank's head office and Deputy General Manager of Tencent Financial Cloud.

Even earlier, in 2024 and 2023, numerous regional banks publicly recruited CIOs, including Bank of Changsha, Sichuan Tianfu Bank, Ganzhou Bank, Longjiang Bank, Qinghai Provincial Rural Credit Union, Heilongjiang Provincial Rural Credit Union, Jiangxi Provincial Rural Credit Union, Guangxi Autonomous Regional Rural Credit Union, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Rural Credit Union, Inner Mongolia Bank, Changjiang Bank, Bank of Tianjin, and Henan Rural Commercial United Bank. Among these, the CIOs for Longjiang Bank and Henan Rural Commercial Bank were also confirmed in 2025.