Young people watching the Scottish Premiership are surrounded by banks.

After achieving over 2 billion media exposures last year, Jiangsu Bank has once again become the title sponsor of the "Jiangsu Super League" (Su Chao). Additionally, this year, Jiangsu Bank has expanded its promotional scope from the Su Chao stadiums to bank branches on the streets. Moreover, by issuing Su Chao co-branded cards, the bank helps netizens obtain match tickets indirectly.

Back in the Su Chao

As the weather suddenly gets warmer, the exciting Su Chao games kick off. Looking back at the first Su Chao in 2025, the total number of on - site spectators for the 85 matches reached 2.43 million, and the online live - viewership reached 2.2 billion. The explosive power of this grassroots competition exceeded everyone's expectations.

In 2026, the public's enthusiasm for the Su Chao remained undiminished. On April 11th, during the first round of matches, over 124,000 fans flocked to the stadium, and the attendance rate instantly reached 100%.

Companies that underestimated the Su Chao last year are now vying for sponsorship positions, fearing to miss out on this "traffic magnet" again.

According to the official WeChat account of the "Jiangsu Provincial Urban Football League", this year, Jiangsu Bank and Suhao Holdings jointly serve as the "title sponsors" of the Su Chao. Initially, there were 27 sponsors of other levels (excluding public - welfare support units), and as of May 13th, the number increased to 33. These sponsors come from various industries, including Hailan Home, Hailanzhi Blue, Yili, PICC, Taobao Flash Sale, Li Auto, Kudi Coffee, Xueji Roasted Nuts, and SF Express.

Compared with the new sponsors this year, Jiangsu Bank seems more at ease in its sponsorship operations for the Su Chao.

Last year, the bank secured the title sponsorship for only 8 million yuan, a far cry from the hundreds of millions of yuan required for title sponsorship in the Chinese Super League. Netizens joked that the bank "got a great bargain". This year, Jiangsu Bank has significantly increased its investment. Some media reported that its sponsorship amount has soared from 8 million yuan to 45 million yuan. When "Caixin Weekly" contacted Jiangsu Bank to verify this amount, no response was received.

More interestingly, Jiangsu Bank has expanded its promotional front from the Su Chao stadiums to bank branches on the streets. According to local residents in Jiangsu, many Jiangsu Bank branches have been decorated in a Su Chao theme. Inside the branches, there are table football games, championship prediction walls, and other interactive devices for customers to participate in.

▲ Image source: Xiaohongshu

Moreover, a staff member from the Huai'an Branch of Jiangsu Bank told "Caixin Weekly" that the bank is trying to convert offline foot traffic into online community members through activities such as "lottery draws in groups and gifts for branch check - ins".

In addition, customers who open a Su Chao co - branded card and purchase at least 1 million yuan of Jiangsu Bank wealth management products with a term of at least six months will receive a Su Chao customized football. For new deposits with a term of over one year, different Su Chao peripherals will be given as gifts: 50,000 yuan deposits can get a folding fan, 100,000 yuan deposits can get a Su Chao customized football, and 200,000 and 300,000 yuan deposits can get a Bananain neck - hanging fan and a sunshade umbrella respectively.

However, the allure of Su Chao peripheral gifts is far less than that of match tickets. On social media, many people posted questions like "How much do I need to deposit in Jiangsu Bank to get Su Chao tickets?" In the comment section, many netizens reported that "it has nothing to do with the deposit, and the staff at Jiangsu Bank branches don't have tickets at all".

"As the title sponsor, we can sign you up first, but we can't guarantee you'll get tickets," said the above - mentioned staff member.

Some lucky netizens have indirectly obtained match tickets by opening a Su Chao co - branded card.

The Su Chao co - branded card is a city co - branded debit card issued by Jiangsu Bank at the end of April. The card design is a major highlight. There are 13 special card designs, each printed with the city landmarks and city figurines of the "Thirteen Taibaos". Before each round of the "Su Chao" matches, customers can participate in the ticket lottery. Each registration will get two lottery codes. Customers can choose their favorite match and ticket type, and if they win, they can attend the match in person. It is reported that some people got Su Chao tickets right after opening the card.

Reaping Both Fame and Fortune

Last year, Jiangsu Bank "reaped both fame and fortune" through the Su Chao. At the first - quarter performance briefing in 2026, Yuan Jun, the chairman and president of Jiangsu Bank, revealed that as the title sponsor, the bank achieved over 2 billion media exposures.

The continuous expansion of the brand's influence has helped Jiangsu Bank secure its position as the "leader among city - commercial banks". In 2025, the bank's annual revenue was 24.18 billion yuan, net profit was 10.582 billion yuan, and total assets were 55.8 trillion yuan, all ranking first among city - commercial banks. In terms of dividends, Jiangsu Bank also set a record for city - commercial banks with a dividend of over 10 billion yuan in 2025.

How much credit does the Su Chao deserve? More detailed data results are presented in the 2025 annual report. Jiangsu Bank said that the "Su Chao" section of its mobile banking app attracted over 11 million participants. By the end of 2025, the number of Jiangsu Bank App customers exceeded 22 million, and the number of monthly active customers exceeded 8 million, ranking first among city - commercial banks.

Regarding the consecutive sponsorships of the Su Chao, Lu Songsheng, the secretary of the board of directors of Jiangsu Bank, said that taking the Su Chao as an opportunity, Jiangsu Bank is exploring an innovative model of "finance + sports". For example, it has created a traffic - carrying and resource - integrating platform on the mobile banking app, set up a Su Chao section, and increased public participation in watching the games through online ticket - lottery activities. At the same time, it has also joined hands with more than 90 brand merchants in catering, entertainment, transportation, tourism, shopping, etc. to issue consumption vouchers, converting the event's popularity into business traffic.

Overall, Jiangsu Bank has deeply integrated its app with the event. Through free tickets, consumption discounts, and other benefits, it has converted C - end football fans into bank customers, and transformed the event's traffic into brand assets, customer growth, and performance improvement.

The financial report shows that by the end of 2025, the bank's retail asset management scale (AUM) exceeded 1.63 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.50%. The annual increase in retail AUM and personal deposits reached 200 billion yuan and 150 billion yuan respectively, both hitting record highs. This means that retail customers are willing to deposit more money in Jiangsu Bank or entrust it for management, which is very helpful for increasing Jiangsu Bank's retail interest and non - interest income.

However, while boosting retail performance through popular events like the Su Chao, Jiangsu Bank also faces certain risks. The bank attracts retail customers to deposit money and also attracts them to take out loans.

By the end of 2025, the bank's retail loan scale was 660.4 billion yuan, of which the balance of personal consumer loans reached 327.6 billion yuan, accounting for half of the retail loans.

Jiangsu Bank did not disclose the personal non - performing loan ratio, but the bank frequently issued announcements on the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission's financial asset trading platform in 2025 regarding the transfer of personal non - performing loans, which may indicate some problems.

In 2026, this phenomenon continues. As of now, the bank has issued 5 announcements for the batch transfer of personal non - performing loans. Take the fifth batch on April 21st as an example. People in their mid - 30s are the main debtors, and those under 40 shoulder nearly three - quarters of the debt.

Banks Target Young People Who Watch Games

Seeing the success of the Su Chao, various local football leagues have emerged. At the same time, many banks are following in the footsteps of Jiangsu Bank and securing sponsorship rights for matches.

According to public reports, Sichuan Bank has sponsored the 2025/2026 Sichuan Provincial Urban Football League (hereinafter referred to as "Chuan Chao"), Zheshang Bank has sponsored the 2026 Zhejiang Provincial Urban Football League (hereinafter referred to as "Wuyue Cup"), Industrial Bank has sponsored the 2026 Fujian Provincial Urban Football League (hereinafter referred to as "Min Chao"), Hubei Bank has sponsored the 2026 Hubei Provincial Urban Football League (hereinafter referred to as "Chu Chao"), and Fudian Bank has sponsored the 2025/2026 Yunnan Provincial Urban Football League (hereinafter referred to as "Dian Chao").

To attract customers through the events, banks have come up with various strategies. Customers of Zheshang Bank can buy "Wuyue Cup" tickets for as low as 1 yuan. Fans who bring their ticket stubs to open a new debit card at Zheshang Bank branches in the province can receive a WeChat cash - back equivalent to the ticket price (20 yuan). Customers of Sichuan Bank can buy "Chuan Chao" tickets for as low as 0.01 yuan. Fans who open a new Class II electronic account at Sichuan Bank can receive a 30 - yuan WeChat cash - back on the spot.

In fact, in the entire sports circle, the trend of banks' sponsorship is becoming more and more obvious. Jiangsu Bank, the big winner of the Su Chao, has continuously sponsored the Nanjing Half Marathon, the Yangzhou Marathon, and the Taihu Lake International Cycling Race. It is also the official strategic partner of another grassroots league in 2026 - the "Su BA" (Jiangsu Provincial Urban Basketball League).

For other banks, Hubei Bank has sponsored the Hubei Yangtze River Super Marathon. Ningbo Bank has sponsored the Asian Badminton Championships for three consecutive years from 2024 to 2026. Bank of Communications has become the front - chest sponsor of Shanghai Shenhua Football Club for two consecutive years starting from 2026.

Wang Pengbo, the chief analyst of Botong Consulting, told "Caixin Weekly" that the combination of banks and sports is a good approach. On the surface, it is brand - promotion expenditure, but in essence, it is a long - term investment in customer acquisition and data accumulation. Reaching the young and middle - aged group through events can lock in the core customer group for the next decade in advance. This group is in the early stage of wealth accumulation, and their demand for financial products such as credit, wealth management, and payment is increasing. Banks can build a scenario - based service entry through this, achieving a closed - loop conversion from traffic to finance. The long - term value far exceeds the sponsorship cost itself.

However, he believes that it is difficult to replicate the successful case of Jiangsu Bank's sponsorship of the Su Chao. "High - profile exposure and regional brand enhancement require specific conditions. Jiangsu Bank's high - profile exposure depends on the popularity of the Su Chao, which is inseparable from the strong economic foundation and fan culture in Jiangsu Province. Moreover, the bank itself also needs to have channel penetration in the local area. If banks in other regions lack similar market density and user stickiness, simply replicating the sponsorship model is difficult to achieve the same effect. They need to make a differentiated layout based on the local sports ecosystem and financial needs."

This article is from the WeChat official account "Caixin Weekly", author: Chen Dazhuang, editor: Lang Ming. Republished by 36Kr with permission.