Banks and Internet Giants Compete for AI "Talent Wave"; Xue Jihao Appointed Party Secretary of Taikang Life | Finance Morning Brief

| March 17, 2026, Tuesday |

**NO.1 **Nine Departments Issue Document, Making Occupational Injury Prevention a Priority for Work Injury Insurance

Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and six other departments jointly issued the “Five-Year Action Plan for Occupational Injury Prevention (2026–2030),” outlining the national occupational injury prevention efforts during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. The “Action Plan” emphasizes making occupational injury prevention a priority for work injury insurance, establishing a prevention-first mindset. Through five years of effort, the goal is to continuously reduce the incidence of work injuries, with key industries aiming for about a 10% reduction over five years; occupational injury rates among new employment forms will gradually decrease, with key platform companies targeting over a 10% reduction in five years; workplace labor conditions will be continuously improved, and the incidence of occupational diseases such as pneumoconiosis will significantly decline.

Comment: The joint effort by nine departments to elevate “occupational injury prevention” to a priority position in work injury insurance signifies a shift in China’s labor rights protection from “post-incident compensation” to “prevention.” From a macroeconomic perspective, reducing work injuries lowers overall social medical costs and minimizes labor loss, helping to enhance the resilience of economic growth.

**NO.2 **Nanjing Bank: Underwrites the First Interbank Market Class REITs of the Year

On March 12, it was announced that Nanjing Bank led the underwriting of the Nanjing Biopharmaceutical Valley Construction Development Co., Ltd. targeted asset-backed notes (Class REITs), successfully issuing the first Class REITs in the interbank market in 2026. The total issuance amount for this Class REITs is 720 million yuan, with a priority tranche interest rate of 2.2%, backed by two pharmaceutical industrial parks in Jiangbei New Area.

Comment: Jiangsu Province is deepening the utilization of state-owned assets across the region. The Class REITs underwritten by Nanjing Bank demonstrate the bank’s exploration of market-oriented and professionalized financial pathways for revitalizing state assets, contributing to the quality and efficiency improvement of local state-owned assets.

NO.3** Xue Jihao Appointed Party Secretary of Taikang Life**

Recently, the “Financial Times” published an article signed by Xue Jihao, Party Secretary of Taikang Life. Based on the signature, Xue Jihao has assumed the role of Party Secretary at Taikang Life. In late December 2025, the “Daily Economic News” learned from relevant sources that Taikang Life President Cheng Kangping had submitted his retirement application to the board of directors due to age reasons and would no longer serve as president after retirement. At that time, there were reports that after Cheng Kangping stepped down, Vice President Xue Jihao might take over as president.

**NO.4 **Banks and Internet Giants Compete for AI “Talent Waves”

A new round of AI talent competition is heating up. Recently, major state-owned banks such as ICBC, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, and China Construction Bank have launched their 2026 spring campus recruitment drives. Almost simultaneously, tech giants like Tencent, Baidu, and Ant Group have also intensively begun their 2026 spring recruitment, creating a scene where “tech giants and traditional financial institutions” compete on the same stage for talent. This spring recruitment layout reflects both clear differentiation in positioning and a high industry consensus—AI (artificial intelligence) talent is becoming a “hot commodity” sought after by both “new and old forces.”

Comment: The intense competition between internet giants and banks for AI talent in spring recruitment essentially indicates that AI upgrading has become an industry consensus. As AI applications in finance become more widespread and in-depth, talents capable of bridging technological logic and financial business scenarios will become the core drivers of the industry’s intelligent transformation.

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