China Issues Joint Guidelines and First National Catalog for Tech Finance Data

On July 29, 2026, nine Chinese regulatory bodies led by the People's Bank of China jointly issued a policy circular to enhance data utilization in technology finance. The release introduces the National Tech Finance Data Development and Utilization Catalog 1.0, outlining 26 key metrics across eight categories. The framework promotes regional data sharing, trusted data space pilots, and corporate credit profiling to help financial institutions better assess risk and tailor lending products to technology-focused enterprises.

The notice establishes a standardized framework across central and local government departments to unlock public tech data for financial use. By combining non-financial data—such as research spending, intellectual property, and trade activity—with transactional metrics, banks can build more precise risk models, transforming administrative and operational data into leverageable credit assets for technology companies.

On July 29, 2026, nine Chinese government agencies—including the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)—jointly issued the "Notice on Strengthening Data Development and Utilization in the Field of Tech Finance." Accompanying the notice, authorities unveiled the "National Tech Finance Data Development and Utilization Catalog 1.0." The standardized catalog outlines 26 data indicators across eight major categories: enterprise lists and technological attributes, import and export activities, investment and financing records, operations, R&D expenditures, intellectual property, innovation capability evaluations, and enterprise financing demands. The policy supports provincial governments in formulating regional data utilization lists, constructing local information infrastructure, and interconnecting existing databases to aggregate technology-related public information. Localities are encouraged to provide authorized open channels for technology firms and adopt operational models such as query services and joint data modeling. To promote cross-domain data exchange while managing security risks, regulators announced innovation pilots for "tech finance trusted data spaces." Qualified regions are encouraged to safely enable access to enterprise cash flow data and build industry research platforms. Furthermore, market-oriented credit reporting agencies are encouraged to build dedicated technology firm databases to expand credit services. For financial institutions, the guidelines emphasize building digital credit profiles and specialized risk-control models based on the catalog's data metrics. Lenders are encouraged to collaborate with government agencies to analyze transaction concentration, counterparty stability, and cash flows to map key industrial chains and deliver targeted financial resources. The PBOC stated it will strengthen inter-agency coordination to implement the circular and improve public data sharing to raise resource allocation efficiency across the tech finance sector.