Comprehensive coverage of 20+ leading financial media outlets with influence rankings, audience profiles, advertising rates, and placement strategy recommendations for Money2020 China
Key findings and conclusions at a glance
Tonghuashun, East Money, and Sina Finance dominate the traffic landscape with tens of millions of monthly active users, but their audiences consist primarily of retail investors. Premium financial media (Caixin, Yicai, Caijing Magazine) have smaller user bases but exceptionally high-quality audiences β over 900,000 paid subscribers comprising business decision-makers and financial elites. FinTech vertical media (01 Caijing, Weiyang Wang, etc.) offer the highest audience precision and are the top choice for B2B FinTech brands.
Newspaper full-page ad rate cards range from 60,000 to 1.5 million RMB per issue (front-page placements in top media can reach the million level). Magazine ads cost approximately 192,000-220,000 RMB per placement. Website homepage banners range from 150,000-280,000 RMB per day. APP splash ads cost 100,000-300,000 RMB per day. WeChat public account top articles range from 50,000-300,000 RMB per piece. Actual transaction prices are typically 30-70% of the rate card, with larger discounts for annual framework agreements.
We recommend allocating 60% of budget to FinTech vertical media + premium financial media (01 Caijing, Caixin, Yicai) for precise B2B decision-maker reach; 25% to tech-finance media + financial new media for brand amplification; and 15% to securities platforms + social platforms for investor-facing brand exposure.
Six-category comprehensive scan, graded by overall influence
China's financial media market has evolved into a diversified ecosystem over years of development. By media format and audience positioning, it can be classified into six major categories: authoritative state media, premium deep-dive, traffic platform, community interaction, industry business, and personal IP. Different media types vary significantly in content characteristics, audience composition, and advertising value.
China's leading financial portal and online brokerage, A-share listed (300059). With its closed-loop ecosystem of "portal + stock bar community + fund distribution + securities trading", it is the most monetized financial platform in China, with net profit margin exceeding 80%.[1][2]
The largest stock trading software by user scale, with 2x the MAU of East Money. Leading AI investment advisor technology with 5.3% paid user conversion rate. Annual membership priced at Β₯1,588, institutional version starting at Β₯28,000. Monetization efficiency is lower than East Money due to lack of brokerage license.[1][12]
The #1 financial channel among China's four major portals, consistently ranking top 3 in financial APP user scale, forming a "tripod" with Tonghuashun and East Money. Backed by Sina ecosystem and Weibo traffic, it excels in comprehensiveness and timeliness of financial news.[3][4]
One of China's most influential financial media groups and a benchmark for premium financial media. Rare in China for holding full licenses across TV, radio, newspaper, website, and mobile. Strong content depth and high credibility, with content partnership with CNBC.[5][7]
China's benchmark for in-depth investigative financial reporting with high international recognition. The largest paid subscription media outside the UK and US. 80% of readers are aged 26-45, approximately 20% hold graduate degrees, and 50% reside in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.[8][9]
| Rank | Media Outlet | Type | Key Metrics | Industry Position | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Securities TimesSOE | Securities Daily | Ranked #1 among China's top 10 financial newspapers[10] | CSRC-designated information disclosure platform; its "Quanshang Zhongguo" is one of the most influential new media brands in securities | Capital market participants, securities investors |
| 7 | China Securities JournalSOE | Securities Daily | Supervised by Xinhua News Agency, #1 among the "Big Four Securities Papers" | CSRC-designated newspaper for listed company information disclosure, extremely high authority[11] | Securities investors, listed companies, financial institutions |
| 8 | Shanghai Securities NewsSOE | Securities Daily | Founded 1991, regular 20 pages | New China's first national financial daily, published by Xinhua News Agency[12] | Financial securities professionals, investors |
| 9 | 21st Century Business HeraldSOE | Financial Business Daily | Circulation 750,000+ per issue[14] | Flagship of Southern Finance Omnimedia Group, known for in-depth financial investigative reporting | Business managers, economic policy researchers |
| 10 | Xueqiu (Snowball) | Investor Community | ~40M registered users, 3.66M-10M MAU[15] | China's largest investor community with top KOLs; average single post views can reach 1.3 million[18] | Active investors, predominantly male, higher education |
| 11 | Wall Street CN | Financial Info Platform | 24/7 global financial news | One of the "Big Five" financial news platforms, pioneered "real-time" model with global perspective[4][19] | Global market-focused investors, financial professionals |
| 12 | National Business DailySOE | Financial Daily | Top 10 new media influence index[20] | Successful new media transformation, outstanding original content on WeChat | Retail investors, business readers |
| Media Outlet | Type | Characteristics | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caijing Magazine | Financial News Magazine | Ranked #2 among China's top 10 financial newspapers/magazines, renowned for in-depth investigations and independent viewpoints[10] | Political and business elites, decision-makers, high-end intellectuals |
| Economic ObserverSOE | Financial Weekly | "Rational, Constructive" positioning, orange newsprint visual identity, high reader loyalty | Business managers, economic researchers, government officials |
| Hexun.com | Financial Portal | Hurun Top 8 Financial Information Platform, established portal with comprehensive content[17] | General financial readers |
| Tencent Finance / Self-Selected Stocks | Portal Finance + Stock APP | Tencent ecosystem traffic support, large user base; Self-Selected Stocks is a top 10 stock APP[3] | Retail investors |
| JRJ.com | Financial Portal | Hurun Top 8 Financial Information Platform, covers quotes, data, research reports[17] | Investors, financial professionals |
| NetEase Finance / iFeng Finance | Portal Finance Channels | Portal traffic entry points with strong content aggregation capabilities, each with featured columns[23] | General financial news readers |
Financial we-media have accumulated massive fan bases on new media platforms through personalized IP and flexible content formats. The 2020 Hurun China Most Influential Financial We-Media Top 10 includes: Wu Xiaobo Channel, Ye Tan Finance, Fantong Dai Laoban, Financial Breakfast, Gongfu Finance, Jiubian, Niu Tanqin, Zhigu Trend, Shoulouchu, Financial Yaocan[26].
One of China's most successful financial we-media IPs, covering four directions: wealth, career, family, and insights. Has built a complete ecosystem of content + community + knowledge payment, with highly influential annual speeches.[24]
Distinctive personal IP of Ye Tan with sharp viewpoints, highly influential on short video platforms. Audience consists mainly of retail investors interested in macroeconomics and investment.[27]
Audience characteristics and advertising value assessment across media types
In terms of user scale, Tonghuashun leads the financial news APP category with 44.674 million male monthly active users, followed by East Money (26.795 million) and Sina Finance (18.578 million). Notably, financial news APP users grew by 72.7% year-over-year, far outpacing stock trading APPs (10.8%) and comprehensive wealth management APPs (14.7%), indicating rapidly growing demand for financial information.[11]
| Dimension | Premium Financial Media (Caixin, Yicai, Caijing) | Mass Financial Media (Sina Finance, East Money) |
|---|---|---|
| User Scale | Hundreds of thousands to millions (Caixin: 900K+ paid users) | Tens of millions MAU (Tonghuashun: 37.94M, East Money: 18.91M) |
| Age Structure | Predominantly 26-45, concentrated young elite | Predominantly 25-45, broader age range |
| Education Level | High graduate degree ratio (Caixin ~20%), overall high education | College education and above, but wide education spectrum |
| Occupation Distribution | Corporate executives, government officials, financial institution decision-makers, investment professionals | General white-collar workers, retail investors, financial practitioners, students |
| Income Level | High-income, high net worth, strong willingness to pay | Middle-income majority, some high net worth investors, prefer free content |
| Geographic Distribution | High concentration in Tier 1 cities (Caixin ~50% in BJ/SH/GZ) | Widely distributed across Tier 1/2/3 cities |
| Content Needs | In-depth investigations, policy interpretation, macro analysis, exclusive reporting | Market data, real-time news, community interaction, investment tips |
| Advertising Value | High brand advertising value, suitable for premium brands and B2B enterprise services | Large traffic, suitable for financial product sales and performance advertising |
For FinTech-themed conferences like Money2020, FinTech vertical media have the highest audience match quality beyond comprehensive financial media. Key players include:
Independent new financial knowledge service institution with an "media + data + research + think tank + academy" third-party service platform. Covers all FinTech sub-segments, providing research, consulting, branding, training, and communication services. Audience precisely covers FinTech practitioners and decision-makers.[19]
A leading FinTech information platform, frequently recommended as essential reading for FinTech professionals. Affiliated with Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance, with strong professionalism. Audience consists mainly of FinTech practitioners and researchers.[20][21]
Focuses on FinTech risk control and other vertical areas, organizes FinTech Risk Control Conference and other industry events. Audience consists mainly of mid-to-senior FinTech professionals with rich industry event experience.[22]
Full category price overview: newspapers/magazines/websites/APPs/TV/new media/events
Prices below are primarily from official rate cards and publicly available quotes from advertising agencies, for reference only. Actual transaction prices are typically 30-70% of rate card prices, with larger discounts for long-term major clients. Specific pricing requires direct negotiation with media advertising departments or authorized agencies.
| Media | Ad Format | Rate Card (Reference) | Circulation / Reach | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caixin Weekly | Full-page ad | ~Β₯192,000/placement | 258,000 copies/week | Ad agency quote 2026[4] |
| Distribution channels | Retail + personal subscriptions + corporate subscriptions + Air China/China Southern business class + bank VIPs + Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail | |||
| Caijing Magazine | Full-page ad | ~Β₯220,000/placement | 426,000 copies/issue | Ad agency quote 2024[9] |
| Partnership formats | Display ads, sponsored articles, special features, custom projects | |||
| 21st Century Business HeraldSOE | Front page full | Rate card ~Β₯1.5M / Actual ~Β₯500K | 750K copies/issue | Public reports[6] |
| Inner page full | Est. Β₯100K-200K/issue (rate card) | 5 issues/week (weekdays) | ||
| Yicai DailySOE | Full-page ad | Est. Β₯150K-300K/issue (rate card) | - | Industry estimate |
| Economic ObserverSOE | Full-page ad | Est. Β₯80K-150K/issue (rate card) | ~700K copies/issue, 56 pages | Reader profile: 70% male, avg age 39, 69.8% bachelor's+, avg personal income Β₯248K[7] |
| Big Four Securities PapersSOE | Full page (color) | Β₯60K-120K/issue (rate card) | - | Industry data composite |
| (CSJ/SSN/ST/Securities Daily) | Information disclosure | ~Β₯8-12 per character | CSRC-designated disclosure media | [8] |
| Media | Ad Format | Position | Rate Card (Reference) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sina Finance | Focus image | Finance homepage | Β₯280K/frame/day | Historical data reference[12], expected 10-30% increase in 2026 |
| Back projection ad | Finance homepage | Β₯200K/day | ||
| Cross-column ad | Finance homepage | Β₯150K/rotation/day | ||
| Dynamic fullscreen | Finance homepage | Β₯280K/hour | ||
| East Money | APP splash ad | App launch fullscreen | ~Β₯200K/day | 1/2 rotation[16] |
| Feed bidding | Image-text feed | Min charge Β₯10,000, CPC pricing | Pay per click[18] | |
| Tonghuashun | Homepage top banner | APP homepage | Est. Β₯50K-150K/day | Daily rate[16] |
| Feed bidding | APP feed | Min charge Β₯10,000, CPM model | Ad revenue +83.20% YoY H1 2025[20] | |
| Caixin.com / APP | APP splash ad | APP launch page | Est. Β₯200K-300K/day | Special projects by negotiation[11] |
| Xueqiu | Splash ad | APP launch page | Est. Β₯100K-200K/day | 78M+ investor users[21] |
CCTV-2 Finance is a national-level financial channel under China Media Group SOE with broad audience reach and high authority. Below are 2025 rate card references:
| Program / Channel | Air Time | 5 sec | 10 sec | 15 sec | 30 sec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCTV-2 "World Finance" | Mon-Sun 12:00-13:00 | Β₯50K | Β₯75K | Β₯100K | Β₯180K |
| CCTV-2 "Economic News Link" | Mon-Sun 20:30-21:30 | Β₯120K | Β₯180K | Β₯230K | Β₯420K |
| CCTV-2 "Consumption Advocate" | Mon-Fri 19:30-20:00 | Β₯98K | Β₯158K | Β₯198K | Β₯358K |
| CCTV-2 "Dialogue" | Saturday 21:30-22:15 | Β₯118K | Β₯176K | Β₯218K | Β₯393K |
Source: CCTV-2 rate card effective January 1, 2025. Unit: RMB/day[22]
Figure 2: Top Financial WeChat Account Headline Ad Rate Range (10K RMB/piece)
Source: Compiled from industry public data and ad agency quotes
Financial WeChat public account ad prices vary dramatically. Headline articles from top accounts (1M+ followers) range from Β₯50K-300K per piece, while mid-tier accounts (100K-1M followers) cost approximately Β₯10K-80K per piece. Second-position articles cost about 40-60% of headline prices, and native/soft ads cost about 60-80% of display ads.[23]
Financial media typically have mature event IPs. Sponsorship formats include title sponsorship, co-hosting, diamond/gold/silver sponsorship, designated product, exhibition booths, gala dinner naming, etc. Below are estimated sponsorship levels for major financial media event IPs:
| Media | Event Name | Title Sponsorship Estimate | Sponsorship Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caixin | Caixin Summit, Caixin International Roundtable | Β₯3M-8M/event | Title sponsorship, tiered sponsorship, speaking slots |
| YicaiSOE | Yicai Annual Conference, China CSR Awards | Β₯2M-5M/event | Title sponsorship, co-hosting, tiered sponsorship |
| 21st Century Business HeraldSOE | 21st Century Economic Annual Meeting, Asian Financial Forum | Β₯2M-5M/event | Title sponsorship, diamond/gold/silver tiers |
| Economic ObserverSOE | Observer Annual Forum, Most Respected Companies Award | Β₯1M-3M/event | Naming rights, sponsorship, award partnerships |
| China Securities JournalSOE | Golden Bull Award Series Events | Β₯2M-5M/event | Title sponsorship, tiered sponsorship |
| iFeng Finance | Phoenix Bay Area Finance Forum | Β₯2M-4M/event | Title sponsorship, tiered sponsorship |
Newspaper ads: Actual transaction prices are typically 30-70% of rate card, with long-term major clients getting as low as 20-30% off.
Magazine ads: Discounts approximately 50-80% off rate card.
Online ads: Discounts approximately 50-80% off, larger discounts for annual framework clients.
Factors affecting pricing: Higher volume = higher discount; long-term partnerships (quarterly/annual) get better rates; designated positions usually add 15-20% premium; holidays/special periods may see price increases.[6][24]
Audience-based media selection and budget allocation plan
Money20/20 is the world's largest FinTech innovation conference, focusing on payments, FinTech, and financial services innovation. Its core target audience includes:
FinTech company executives and decision-makers, bank/financial institution digital transformation leaders, corporate finance and tech leaders
Payments industry professionals, digital currency/blockchain entrepreneurs, FinTech risk/product/operations personnel
VC/PE partners, FinTech investors, industry investment fund principals
Regulatory agencies and policymakers, industry association leaders, research institute experts and scholars
| Media | Fit Score | Rationale | Recommended Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Caijing |
β
β
β
β
β
|
Leading FinTech vertical media with "media + data + research + think tank + academy" model; audience precisely covers FinTech practitioners and decision-makers; rich industry research and event experience | Special features, column naming, event partnerships, whitepapers |
| Caixin Media |
β
β
β
β
β
|
Audience consists of financial decision-makers, corporate executives, and government officials β highly aligned with Money2020 B2B decision-maker profile; 900K+ paid users with exceptional quality; leading depth in FinTech and regulatory policy coverage | Brand advertising, in-depth reporting partnerships, Caixin Summit sponsorship |
| YicaiSOE |
β
β
β
β
β
|
Backed by SMG, strong influence in Yangtze River Delta (Hangzhou, Money2020 host region); audience covers business management and financial professionals; strong brand event operations | Brand advertising, special features, Yicai Annual Conference sponsorship |
| Weiyang Wang |
β
β
β
β
β
|
Key FinTech information platform with Tsinghua PBCSF background; audience mainly FinTech practitioners and researchers; highly professional | Special features, column naming, co-promotion |
| 36Kr / TMTPost |
β
β
β
β
β
|
Tech-finance media covering entrepreneurs, investors, tech professionals; FinTech is a key coverage area; younger audience with strong innovation awareness | Special reports, startup rankings, event partnerships |
| Yiben Caijing |
β
β
β
β
β
|
Focuses on FinTech risk control and other verticals with rich industry event experience; audience consists mainly of mid-to-senior FinTech professionals | Event partnerships, special reports, risk control conference synergy |
| East Money / Tonghuashun |
β
β
β
β
β
|
Large user base but primarily retail investors with limited match to FinTech professionals; can cover investor community, suitable for B2C FinTech product promotion | Brand advertising, investor education content |
| Xueqiu |
β
β
β
β
β
|
Investor community with some high-net-worth and professional investors; high attention to FinTech listed companies; suitable for investor-facing brand communication | Brand zones, KOL partnerships, community topic campaigns |
| Sina Finance |
β
β
β
β
β
|
High traffic and broad reach but mixed audience quality; suitable for brand exposure with relatively lower precision | Brand advertising, special features, event livestreaming |
| Financial We-Media / KOL |
β
β
β
β
β
|
Fast propagation speed, suitable for event preheating and ticket promotion; but top KOLs are expensive, and audience precision varies by account | Content integration, livestream partnerships, short video promotion |
Based on Money2020's B2B positioning and FinTech focus, we recommend a "precision layering" placement strategy, allocating budget 60%/25%/15% across core, expansion, and supplementary layers:
| Phase | Timing | Recommended Media | Placement Formats | Objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-up Phase | 3-6 months before event | Caixin, Yicai, 01 Caijing, 36Kr | Special features, column naming, in-depth reports, joint whitepaper publishing | Build brand professionalism, industry awareness penetration |
| Momentum Phase | 1-3 months before event | Full channel coverage, focus on new media | Brand advertising, KOL content partnerships, short video promotion, community campaigns | Amplify voice, drive ticket conversions |
| Explosion Phase | 1-2 weeks before event | Sina Finance, East Money, Xueqiu, we-media matrix | Splash ads, feed ads, livestream previews, community operations | Concentrated exposure, final push |
| Event Period | During conference | Partner media, livestream platforms | On-site reporting, special livestream, guest interviews, live text coverage | On-site atmosphere, secondary propagation |
| Sustain Phase | Within 1 month post-event | Caixin, Yicai, 36Kr, 01 Caijing | Post-event in-depth reports, whitepaper release, highlights review, data reports | Long-tail effect, brandζ²ζ· |
Core insights and key findings summary
China's financial media market has formed a well-structured ecosystem. For a premium, FinTech-focused B2B brand like Money2020, precision is more important than reach. Selecting the right media mix delivers higher-quality attendees and brand value than simply chasing exposure volume.
In terms of audience fit, FinTech vertical media (01 Caijing, Weiyang Wang, Yiben Caijing) have the highest overlap with Money2020's target audience, precisely reaching FinTech practitioners and decision-makers. Premium financial media (Caixin, Yicai), while smaller in user scale, have exceptionally high audience quality and are critical channels for building brand authority. Tech-finance media (36Kr, TMTPost) effectively reach entrepreneurs and the investor community.
From a cost-benefit perspective, vertical and premium media may have higher cost per impression than traffic platforms, but their audience's decision-making power and purchasing power are significantly higher. For B2B FinTech events, the value of reaching one precise decision-maker far exceeds one hundred general financial readers. Therefore, we recommend investing the majority of budget in high-precision media, while allocating a smaller portion for brand exposure supplementation on traffic platforms.
Finally, it should be emphasized that the advertising rates in this report are mostly rate card prices or industry estimates obtained from public sources. Actual prices must be obtained through direct negotiation with media. We recommend contacting media advertising departments through official channels or obtaining the latest quotes and preferential policies through authorized advertising agencies. At the same time, consider annual framework agreements or multi-project bundling for better pricing conditions.