Aug 10 marks the 100-day countdown to the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting. Bank of China has been building an end-to-end financial services system to support APEC preparations, with related work starting early.

Bank of China is the only global systemically important bank with a service network covering all 21 APEC economies. It also holds the chairmanship of more overseas business associations for Chinese-funded enterprises in APEC economies than any other Chinese-funded bank.

China is hosting APEC for the third time. China's APEC 2026 priorities are Openness, Innovation, and Cooperation. The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in November, with preparations now in full swing. 

Assisting enterprises in going global through cross-border finance

BOC fully leverages its key role in providing financial services for foreign trade, improving financial service provision, and innovating service models. By focusing on the needs and challenges of foreign trade enterprises, BOC has promoted opening-up through its high-quality financial services.

In the first half of 2026, Shenzhen's total imports and exports reached RMB 2.88 trillion, up 33% to a record high, keeping it in first place among cities in the Chinese mainland for foreign trade. In July, BOC held a series of events in Shenzhen to support enterprises in entering the global market, launching the Go-Global Alliance and releasing the BOC comprehensive service plan for enterprises going global. The plan offers two differentiated service packages tailored respectively to enterprises at the initial and development stages of their overseas operations. Additionally, BOC will offer industry service plans and country guides focused on 10 key industries and 10 key countries for overseas growth, supporting enterprises' cross-border business activities.

At end-July, BOC continued to lead the Shenzhen market by business volume in international settlements, cross-border RMB settlements, and foreign exchange settlement and sales. BOC's cross-border settlement volume with APEC member economies exceeded USD 100 billion, up more than 30% year-on-year. What's more, BOC has continued to address core challenges such as opening overseas accounts, currency risk hedging, cross-border investment and financing, and global cash management for enterprises.

Supporting tech companies going global

As China's "Silicon Valley" and a technology hub in southern China, Shenzhen has cultivated strengths in advanced manufacturing and cutting-edge technology. Leveraging its global network, BOC has supported tech enterprises throughout their global development with full-lifecycle financial services.

BOC provided a tailor-made comprehensive global cash management solution for OneRobotics (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., a startup in Shenzhen's Bao'an district that develops its own embodied intelligence products, to address its cross-border settlement and exchange rate risk management needs. In August 2025, as the company's business in the European market grew rapidly, BOC set up a three-tier cross-border financial service team for the company, operating at the head office, branch, and sub-branch levels. The head office provided exchange rate trend analysis for major markets such as the eurozone. The branch offered real-time quotes to help the company lock in the most favorable exchange rates, while the sub-branch provided professional support for each transaction. BOC's global cash management capabilities were recognized by the client.

Smoother payment convenience for international visitors

As a city with sea, land, and air ports offering departure tax refunds, Shenzhen has continued to explore policy and service upgrades to make departure tax refunds more convenient. Supported by financial technology, BOC has been building a cross-border financial service system covering the entire process for overseas visitors to China. 

BOC has set up over 150 outlets in Shenzhen, with 20 located in areas frequented by international visitors, providing specialized personal cross-border financial services for opening accounts, foreign currency exchanges, e-CNY setups, and activating payment tools. 

In March of this year, BOC deployed its independently developed self-service kiosks covering a full range of departure tax refund scenarios at Luohu Port and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, part of the country's first batch of such kiosks, enabling refunds to be credited within three minutes. 

Starting Aug 10, the departure tax refund service point at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport began operating 24/7, helping boost inbound consumption during the APEC "China Year."

From convenient payments upon entry to distinctive "Shopping in China" experiences and fast tax refunds before departure, BOC provides overseas tourists with end-to-end, one-stop cross-border services, showcasing an open and inclusive Shenzhen to the world.

With the 100-day countdown to the APEC meeting in Shenzhen underway, BOC will fully leverage its global expertise and comprehensive services to support the successful hosting of major international events and the APEC "China Year" with higher-standard, higher-quality, and more efficient financial services.