Nearly 700 million monthly active users, comprehensive reshaping of banking app capabilities, and focusing on deepening user value are key.

Financial Associated Press March 19 (Editor: Yang Bin) AI technology, emerging markets, and innovative scenarios… Multiple factors are systematically reshaping the capabilities of mobile banking apps. A recent report from institutions shows that the average monthly active users (MAU) of mobile banking apps is close to 700 million, with the app having the highest monthly active users reaching about 250 million.

However, the average daily usage duration and launch frequency of banking apps remain low. Analysts believe that mobile banking should understand the changes in user demographics, embrace intelligent trends, deeply cultivate users, and enhance individual customer value and lifecycle contributions.

12 mobile banking apps have over 10 million average monthly active users, and 3 apps exceed 100 million

According to a recent report by iResearch titled “2025 China Mobile Banking App Monitoring Report,” the monthly active user numbers for mobile banking apps in China are expected to fluctuate between 648 million and 739 million by 2025. Overall, the user base of banking apps has essentially stabilized after a period of rapid expansion, transitioning into a phase of enhancing existing users.

Specifically, in the monthly active user ranking, four major state-owned banks—Agricultural Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Bank of China—occupy the top four positions in terms of average monthly active users (MAU) for mobile banking apps in 2025, with the apps of Agricultural Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank, and China Construction Bank each exceeding 100 million monthly active users.

Chart: Average Monthly Active User Ranking of Mobile Banking Apps in 2025

(Data Source: iResearch, Financial Associated Press Compilation)

The Agricultural Bank of China’s app leads the industry with 249 million MAUs. Public information shows that in January 2026, the Agricultural Bank launched version 11.0 of its mobile banking app, aiming to enhance user experience through intelligent service matching, comprehensive scenario integration, customized services for different customer groups, and comprehensive security protection, delivering a sense of technological warmth.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s app also has nearly 200 million monthly active users. Recently, the ICBC app completed the “Smart Sharing +1.0” version upgrade, which not only continues the evolution of intelligence but also focuses on enhancing smart service capabilities, exclusive services for county and rural customer groups, simplified interaction experiences, and security protection systems. For instance, smart services include conversational business handling with “Gong Xiao Zhi”; wealth management features panoramic displays of returns and diversified product configurations; and consumer loans are integrated with installment payments for a one-stop financing solution.

Among joint-stock banks, the apps of China Merchants Bank, Ping An Bank, CITIC Bank, Minsheng Bank, Industrial Bank, and China Everbright Bank have average MAUs exceeding 10 million in 2025. Notably, China Merchants Bank leads with over 70 million monthly active users.

As a benchmark for wealth management in domestic banks, the China Merchants Bank app launched its version 14.0 in December 2025, completing the upgrade around the concept of “wealth growth is clear, and financial services are at your fingertips.” In the wealth management segment, it offers “Smart Sharing Services” for one-stop intelligent configurations and “Fund Health Check” analysis tools to support stable asset appreciation. In addition, the upgraded voice assistant supports “Q&A” and “I’ll handle it for you,” and specifically introduced a “Visually Impaired Assistant.”

Ping An Bank’s app, Pocket Bank, has nearly 30 million average MAUs. The latest upgraded 8.0 version of the Pocket Bank app reconstructs the service chain with AI, achieving “extremely simple operations” through a streamlined interface and conversational operations. In wealth management, the intelligent matching feature can recommend suitable financial products based on user risk levels, while the intelligent advisory function customizes personalized financial plans for users through big data and algorithms.

Among city commercial banks, Beijing Bank ranks high with average MAUs. Beijing Bank continues to deepen its core construction concept of “a mobile bank that understands you better” and launched version 10.0 of its mobile banking app in December 2025, undertaking a comprehensive iteration by building a wealth allocation system covering the entire lifecycle, innovating intelligent business handling and risk control experiences, and expanding local living and membership rights ecosystems.

A report by Industrial Bank Research points out that the upgrades of mobile banking apps are no longer just about optimizing single features, but rather a systematic capability reshaping focused on intelligence, customer segmentation, and ecological integration.

Insufficient user stickiness, banking apps should continue to deepen user value

While the monthly active users of brokerage apps are at a million level, they are not in the same league as banking apps, but it should be noted that the stickiness metrics of banking apps are significantly lower than those of brokerage apps.

According to the report data from Analysys Qianfan, in 2025, the average daily usage time for mobile banking users is only 3.92 minutes, less than one-tenth of that for securities service apps. The average daily launches are 2.61 times, which is also far behind securities apps (10.54 times). When transfers, checking balances, and paying credit card bills—these high-frequency, “in-and-out” needs—become the entirety of banking app value, users come only for “tools,” not for “services.”

Industrial Bank Research believes that while the user base of mobile banking continues to rise, the usage frequency and duration of active service apps are showing a declining trend. This indicates that the era of acquiring traffic through functional piling and superficial subsidies may have ended, with the core of mobile banking operational competition shifting to how to deeply cultivate existing users and enhance individual customer value and lifecycle contributions.

Additionally, in the aforementioned ranking of average monthly active users, several agricultural commercial bank or rural credit cooperative apps are present. According to Analysys Qianfan data, in terms of urban user distribution for banking apps in 2025, users in third, fourth, and fifth-tier cities accounted for a year-on-year increase of 0.78%; in terms of consumption levels, the proportion of middle and low consumption groups increased by 0.44%. The focus of mobile banking users is shifting from core cities to broader emerging markets, where user demands are more localized and practical.

In the face of changing user demographics and diversified needs, Industrial Bank Research believes that mobile banking is constructing differentiated service systems through refined segmentation to achieve “personalized experiences for everyone.” At the same time, AI empowerment in mobile banking has become a strategic choice for seeking experience breakthroughs and strengthening security and controllability.

Analysys Qianfan believes that current mobile banking has shifted from a simple online transaction tool to a core hub connecting users, scenarios, and technology. Understanding changes in user demographics and embracing inclusive and intelligent trends will be key for banks to gain an advantage in the next round of competition.

(Financial Associated Press, Yang Bin)