China Leads Fintech Patent Filings, Nikkei Reports

China leads the world in both the volume and quality of financial technology (fintech) patent applications over the past decade, Nikkei reported on Tuesday. The findings are based on a survey of fintech-related patent filings across 118 countries and regions between 2016 and 2025, conducted jointly by Nikkei and Tokyo-based research firm Patent Result. Global fintech patent filings reached approximately 120,000 in the ten years to 2025, nearly triple the volume of the previous decade, according to the survey. Patent applications from Chinese companies during the period accounted for more than 38 per cent of the global total, by far the largest share, with the number of filings increasing tenfold from the prior decade. The United States ranked second with a 17 per cent share, followed by South Korea with 9 per cent and Japan with 8 per cent. Chinese companies also dominated at the corporate level, occupying eight of the top ten positions by number of fintech patent filings. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) topped the global ranking, followed by Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Tencent, among others, in the top ten list. The survey found that China’s lead is not limited to volume alone; the country also ranked first in patent quality, as measured by value and competitiveness scores, with the United States and Japan placing second and third, respectively.