As the new year begins, everything is renewed. The cultural and tourism boom under the New Year's Eve fireworks, the anticipation of new cars in 4S stores, the joyful moments in shopping districts and restaurants... During the 2026 New Year's Day holiday, the consumer market was warm and vibrant, with diverse scenarios such as cultural and tourism travel, car replacement, catering and retail painting a vivid picture of the New Year's atmosphere.
Behind this consumption boom, banking institutions have precisely targeted holiday demand, injecting strong financial momentum into the consumer market with customized financial products, scenario-based services, and substantial subsidies, allowing people to enjoy benefits and convenience during the holiday season.
The release of consumer vitality cannot be separated from precise policy support. In December 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued the "Notice on Implementing Large-Scale Equipment Renewal and Consumer Goods Trade-in Policy in 2026" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), proposing to implement the consumer goods trade-in policy in the fields of automobile scrapping and renewal, automobile replacement and renewal, home appliances, digital and smart products, etc., and delivering the first "policy gift package" to the consumer market at the end of the year and the beginning of the new year.
Driven by both favorable policies and market demand, financial institutions responded quickly, deeply embedding financial services into various consumption scenarios to support a good start for the consumer market throughout the year.
Helping car trade-ins ignite a new year's car buying boom
"I really didn't expect your service to be so fast during the New Year's Day holiday." Mr. Wang, who works in Urumqi, Xinjiang, returned to Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture to visit relatives. He had his eye on a car he had long admired, but was worried that he wouldn't be able to get a loan during the holiday, which would affect his ability to pick up the car. After understanding his situation, the on-site staff of the car purchase installment team of China Construction Bank's Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture branch quickly processed his application on-site via mobile device, allowing Mr. Wang to receive his car keys smoothly before returning home.
During the New Year's Day holiday, members of the bank's car purchase installment team shuttled between various 4S stores in the auto city, safeguarding citizens' wishes to "drive a new car in the new year" in their own way.
With the first batch of national subsidies in 2026 being implemented, favorable policies combined with holiday enthusiasm have further stimulated residents' enthusiasm for purchasing cars. During this year's New Year's Day holiday, a car dealership in Guangzhou was filled with a festive atmosphere. Mr. Zhang, a citizen, successfully traded in his old car for a new energy SUV through a car purchase installment plan at the Yuexiu branch of China Construction Bank in Guangzhou, truly enjoying the consumer benefits of the trade-in program.
According to a reporter from the Financial Times, the Yuexiu branch of China Construction Bank in Guangzhou has a long-term partnership with the 4S store, implementing a "weekly on-site service + holiday special service" model, sending professional account managers to the store. On that day, Manager Chen, who was stationed at the store, learned from Mr. Zhang's communication that his old gasoline car had been used for 6 years and he wanted to replace it with a new energy vehicle, but he was worried about the high cost of replacement and that his recent family expenses had caused him great pressure on cash flow.
After learning about Mr. Zhang's concerns about cash flow and his plan to dispose of his old car, Manager Chen, taking into account Mr. Zhang's personal credit status, income and expenditure records, recommended a car purchase installment plan from China Construction Bank. The plan, which involved a 5-year installment period, was finalized on the spot and met Mr. Zhang's financial planning needs.
"The trade-in policy combined with credit card installment payments is such a great deal. The national subsidy saved me 20,000 yuan, and the installment payments were interest-free, so I can drive a new car into the new year without emptying my savings all at once." Mr. Zhang did the math, and with the additional 8,000 yuan cash discount from the car company during the New Year's Day holiday, he saved nearly 30,000 yuan in total with this trade-in, greatly easing his financial burden.
Empowering cultural and tourism scenarios to add warmth to holiday consumption
Embark on a spiritual journey at Yunju Temple, witness romantic fireworks at Changshou Lake, and experience the interplay of hot springs and winter plum blossoms in Jinyun Mountain... During the New Year's Day holiday, cultural and tourism consumption saw a rebound. Various banks accurately targeted holiday consumption needs and launched diverse promotional activities in conjunction with cultural and tourism scenarios, allowing tourists and citizens to fully enjoy the fun of the New Year through immersive experiences.
This winter, the Fangshan District Culture and Tourism Bureau of Beijing officially launched a comprehensive guide to festive travel, themed "All Ages Friendly, All-Time Exciting," including the "Winter Solstice Flavors: A Pictorial Guide to 100 Flavors of Dumplings in Fangshan," which connects nearly 40 hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants throughout the district, creating a multi-dimensional experience integrating "taste discovery, tasting, check-ins, and shopping." This vitality was vividly demonstrated in the consumer market during the New Year's Day holiday, and the deep involvement of banks has further amplified this vitality.
During the New Year's Day holiday, the Beijing branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) joined hands with popular scenic spots, guesthouses, hotels, and catering associations in Fangshan District to launch the "Celebrating the New Year with Blessings in Fangshan" promotional campaign. Through the linkage model of "cultural and tourism activities + partner merchants + ICBC credit cards", the campaign stimulated tourists' consumption enthusiasm and injected a financial boost into the cultural and tourism consumption market in Fangshan District.
Capitalizing on the economic boom of the New Year's Day holiday, China Construction Bank Chongqing Branch, through its "CCB Life - Cultural Tourism Chongqing" section and the "Mountain City Fun Guide," launched a variety of New Year's Eve activities, providing citizens with a one-click discount experience.
At Changshou Lake Scenic Area, China Construction Bank Chongqing Branch focused on the "Changshou Lake Sky Theater New Year's Eve Fireworks Show" event, launching a fireworks show ticket discount coupon activity, coupled with discount activities from merchants in Changshou Ancient Town, allowing more than 300 citizens to receive real cash benefits during the New Year's Day holiday.
At Jinyun Mountain in Beibei, the bank launched the "Climb Jinyun, Soak in the First Hot Spring, and Appreciate the Winter Plum Blossoms: Beibei New Year's Gift Package" campaign. The package offers discounts of up to 159 yuan to local well-known hot springs, "360 Bowls of Chongqing Flavors" restaurants, and other cultural and tourism businesses. The package covers multiple scenarios, including hot spring experiences and food consumption, allowing citizens to enjoy the warmth of hot springs and authentic local cuisine at a more affordable price while hiking, exercising, and appreciating the winter plum blossoms.
Deepening Diversified Fields to Stimulate Consumer Market Momentum
In December 2025, the Ministry of Commerce, the People's Bank of China, and the State Financial Regulatory Commission jointly issued the "Notice on Strengthening Business and Financial Coordination to Boost Consumption," which pointed out five key directions: upgrading commodity consumption, expanding service consumption, cultivating new types of consumption, innovating consumption scenarios, and supporting consumption. It also introduced 11 specific measures to guide financial institutions to provide more diversified and differentiated financial services.
Under policy guidance, banking institutions seized the important window of opportunity during the peak consumption season at the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, accurately grasped residents' consumption needs, and launched consumption promotion activities covering diverse scenarios such as retail, catering, ice and snow sports, and national trends, jointly promoting the effective release of domestic demand potential.
China Construction Bank Tianjin Hedong Branch actively participated in the New Year's Eve consumer voucher distribution event in Hedong District, using the "CCB Life" APP as a digital platform. In the early stages of the event, the bank established a special working group, led by bank leaders, to liaise with the District Bureau of Commerce and collaborate with the seven major commercial districts in the area to jointly plan a consumption promotion program covering diverse scenarios such as "eating, drinking, playing, and shopping".
Dining out, as a key activity for year-end celebrations, has always held a prominent position in holiday spending. Starting December 25, 2025, Guangfa Credit Card, in partnership with over 50,000 merchants across more than 100 business districts nationwide, is launching a series of promotions covering various consumption scenarios such as food, beverages, and retail. These include "50% off every day," "50% off on Fridays (meeting certain criteria)," "Instant discounts of 5 to 88 yuan on purchases over 88 yuan," and "Up to 266 yuan off with Guangfa Mastercard credit cards," injecting new vitality into year-end consumption.
China Everbright Bank is seizing the winter season and launching the "Ice and Snow Fun Festival" from December 2025 to February 2026. The event offers a full range of discounts, including discounts on flight bookings, hotel bookings, ski resort tickets, interest-free installment payments for ice and snow equipment, and random discounts, to expand new consumption and stimulate ice and snow tourism consumption.
"Holidays such as New Year's Day are important windows for observing consumption. Activities related to promoting consumption can help optimize the supply of consumption, promote the transformation of business districts and the innovation of business formats, and form diversified growth poles such as first launches, nighttime, and digital consumption," said Fu Yifu, a special researcher at Sushang Bank. "In the long run, cultivating new consumption habits through scenario-based and interconnected models will achieve a virtuous cycle of 'demand driving supply and supply creating demand'."
