As the cheers for the Zhejiang Basketball Association (Zhejiang BA) resound through the streets and alleys, and as the players' dashing figures leap across the city's stadiums, the deep-rooted sports heritage is giving rise to a thriving industrial culture, becoming a new growth engine for the city's economy. Behind this "boom," Zhejiang Chouzhou Commercial Bank (hereinafter referred to as "Chouzhou Bank") is leveraging its financial expertise, guided by policy and bridged by service, to implement diversified support methods, accumulating new momentum for boosting consumption and promoting economic and social development.
Empowering the Industry's "Green Field"
Since the implementation of the "double reduction" policy, the quality education sector has continued to heat up, and equestrian sports, with their unique educational value, have become increasingly popular among families. Facing inquiries from prospective students, the head of an equestrian center was both pleased and worried: the facility's capacity was limited, and without immediate expansion and upgrades, they feared missing out on development opportunities. This concern was taken to heart by Chouzhou Bank. The bank's account manager keenly sensed that this equestrian institution was at a critical juncture in its development. Rather than directly offering solutions, he chose to conduct an "immersive survey" to understand the institution's overall operations. While following the head of the center to learn about stable maintenance, curriculum design, student registration processes, and accounting practices, the account manager traversed every inch of the training ground, grasping the institution's "operational pulse." During peak seasons like summer and winter vacations, the center's student numbers surged, resulting in ample cash flow; however, during off-seasons, revenue declined sharply, and fixed expenses such as horse maintenance, facility upkeep, and employee salaries created cyclical financial pressure. Based on this operational pattern, the institution hoped to leverage the "sports craze" to develop new plans for facility expansion, equipment upgrades, and team expansion.
After understanding the situation, Chouzhou Bank customized a support plan based on the institution's characteristics of "light assets and seasonal fluctuations in cash flow," and opened a green channel for approval. In just a few days, 700,000 yuan of working capital was successfully disbursed to the company's account, providing timely assistance for its upgrading and development.
Since opening its first store in 2014, a certain gym has gradually grown into a large-scale high-end gym chain brand in the area, with an average store area of 3,000 square meters and equipped with a full set of mid-to-high-end fitness equipment. At its peak, the stores had a stable daily foot traffic of 400 people. However, the sudden outbreak of the pandemic pressed the "pause button" on this bustling business. The brand's offline stores closed one after another, and members' requests for refunds followed one after another, causing the company's revenue to plummet. Daily operating expenses, professional equipment maintenance, and employee salaries all became heavy burdens on the company's shoulders, and the operating results accumulated over nine years were at risk of "evaporating".
At a critical juncture, Chouzhou Bank intervened promptly, injecting a "boost" into the struggling company. In 2021, Chouzhou Bank opened a "green channel," completing the approval of a 3 million yuan credit line at the fastest speed, effectively alleviating the urgent need. In the following years, Chouzhou Bank lowered loan interest rates year after year, reducing financing costs for the company. In 2025, it successfully processed a loan renewal without principal repayment for the company, helping it overcome the predicament of poor cash flow and smoothly emerge from the industry downturn.
From "blood transfusion" to "blood production"
Financing relief is not the end of the service, but the starting point for long-term cooperation between banks and enterprises. Chouzhou Bank focuses on key areas and links in the province's sports industry, accelerating the construction of a financial service system adapted to the development of the sports industry. Faced with the financing difficulties of small and medium-sized sports enterprises and emerging sectors, the bank fully considers their reasonable financing needs from a "multi-variable, asset-light" perspective. Based on this, Chouzhou Bank leverages its professional expertise in cash flow management to continuously track operational dynamics, helping institutions optimize their capital allocation and transforming one-off "blood transfusion" support into a long-term "blood-generating" cycle, stimulating the financial sector's ability to promote sports consumption.
Chouzhou Bank is increasing its support for the construction and operation of sports infrastructure such as stadiums and sports service complexes, and is supporting new "sports+" models and new business formats, leading to the vigorous development of the "energy supply" industry.
A certain company is a benchmark enterprise within a high-end, intelligent sports creative complex, with businesses covering multiple fields such as sports event planning, competition organization, and sports education and training. In recent years, with the continued rise in sports enthusiasm and a significant increase in public awareness of sports, the company has seized the opportunity to actively undertake large-scale sports events and expand sports education and training programs. Behind this development, significant investments are needed for venue renovation and expansion, professional equipment upgrades are essential, and the expansion and training of teaching staff is the cornerstone of long-term development, highlighting a series of rigid demands. Chouzhou Bank keenly recognized the company's financing needs and engaged in an in-depth "heart-to-heart" meeting with the company. From the company's current operating status and business layout to future development plans and market prospects, after a comprehensive assessment of the company's real needs and development potential, the bank acted swiftly, tailoring an integrated financial solution for the company. From demand matching and solution design to approval and fund disbursement, thanks to the "financial acceleration," a million-yuan working capital loan for the company was successfully delivered to its account.
The sports industry possesses the attributes of a sunrise industry, a health industry, and a happiness industry. It is not only a new growth point for the national economy but also a key element in improving people's quality of life. Fulfilling its corporate social responsibility as a financial enterprise, Chouzhou Bank, with the support and guidance of the Yiwu Charity Federation, launched the "Spring Rain Project" in conjunction with the Zhejiang Chouzhou Professional Basketball Club, leveraging its resource advantages to serve the youth basketball boom. This project donated basketball hoops, sports and stationery supplies, and invited professional basketball players to villages and schools in mountainous towns, villages, and schools in Zhejiang Province to deliver "star basketball lessons," contributing to the vigorous development of youth sports in mountainous counties. In November, CBA men's and women's basketball players visited schools in Zhuji, sharing the spirit of sports through lively classes, from basic movements to fun competitions, and conveying the values of "striving for progress and teamwork" to the children. By both supplementing school resources through material donations and enriching educational content through "star" lessons, Chouzhou Bank is promoting the spirit and cultural charm of sports to take root in the hearts of young people. To date, the bank has donated 62 pairs of basketball hoops to 20 villages and 14 schools in 21 districts and counties in Zhejiang Province, and has also conducted 13 public welfare basketball lessons with Zhejiang Chouzhou Professional Basketball Club.
In 2025, the sports industry's role in actively serving the overall economic and social development will become increasingly prominent. A series of policy measures will directly address key aspects and pain points in the sports consumption market, providing a clear direction for financial institutions to support the development of the sports industry. Chouzhou Bank stated that in the next stage, it will extend its service boundaries through in-depth research, enhanced information sharing, and effective utilization of policy synergy, continuously enriching the supply of financial resources for building a beautiful China and a healthy Zhejiang.
