Global competition reshapes future banking outlets
Students watch the designs of future banking outlets in the digital era at the final contest of the Financial Service and Space Design Competition in Yangpu District.
A global design competition wrapped up in Shanghai over the weekend, offering a futuristic glimpse of how banking outlets might look like in the digital era.
Nineteen teams from colleges and universities from across the world showcased their designs at the final contest of the Financial Service and Space Design Competition in Yangpu District.
The competition was jointly organized by the Tongji University College of Design and Innovation and the HSBC Bank to improve the financial service experiences with design power.
About 300 students from 42 universities and colleges, including those from Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States, participated to the competition, which was initiated in June 2022.
A Chinese joint team of Tongji and Hunan universities won the top prize, and was awarded 100,000 yuan (US$14,480).
Some designs will be applied to the HSBC outlets on the Chinese mainland, which will open to the public by the end of 2023, according to the organizers.
A joint team of Tongji and Hunan universities won the top prize.
The rapid development of fin-tech and artificial intelligence is driving the reform of the banking industry. Young customers born in the digital era also have unique habits and preferences, said an official with HSBC China.
"Future banking outlets should integrate the AI technology, aesthetic design and environmental protection concepts to meet consumers' demands for efficiency, social contact and sustainable development," the official noted.
The top-prize team designed a personal banking service space, which blends an offline outlet and virtual online space. It aims to expand the services of a bank from the traditional outlets to "anytime and anywhere."
"Some participants have not only created a characteristic outlet space, but also reshaped the banking service procedures," said Zhang Linghao, president of the Nanjing University of the Arts and the chairman of the panel of judges.
"They've also involved the concepts of sustainable development and health, while considering the additional demands of customers, such as social contact and pursuit of art," Zhang said.
A student takes photos of the design of future banking outlets.
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