What Yicai does

Yicai (第一财经) is a Shanghai-based Chinese-language financial media company founded in 2003 that operates a comprehensive multi-platform portfolio spanning a flagship news website (yicai.com), mobile applications, a daily newspaper, a television channel (First Financial TV), radio broadcasts, a monthly business magazine (YiMagazine), an international English-language platform (Yicai Global), and a research institute (CBNRI). The company covers A-shares, the STAR Market, macro policy, global markets, and specialized sectors including technology, real estate, automobiles, fashion, and regional economies, distributing content across web, mobile, broadcast, and major social platforms including WeChat, Douyin, and Weibo. Its customer base spans retail investors, institutional investors, corporate executives, government organizations, and academic institutions.

Yicai's underlying technology stack centers on a digital media platform with multi-channel content distribution, AI-powered content aggregation and personalized news delivery, and real-time market data integration covering major indices including Shanghai Composite, Shenzhen Composite, STAR Market, GEM, CSI 300, Hang Seng, S&P 500, and NASDAQ. The company offers an AI-powered personal investment advisor called 'Xiao Long Xia' (小Long Xia) embedded with specialized financial skills, alongside a portfolio of premium subscription services such as Research Report Selection (研报金选), Pre-Market Gold (盘前点金), ETF Gold Mining (掘金ETF), Dragon Tiger Bull Bear (龙虎牛熊), and investment education courses. Its wholly-owned subsidiary ecosystem includes CBNData Business Data Center, New First-Tier City Data Platform, Yicai Business School, and the Yiwealth (一财号) content creator program featuring expert commentators.

The company monetizes through a hybrid revenue model combining display advertising and sponsored content, premium annual subscriptions priced from ¥98 to ¥2,499 across multiple tiers, event and conference services including the CSR Summit, Capital Annual Conference, and Global Asset Management Forum, and content licensing to media partners including Yicai Global. Strategic capital partnerships include a 2015 investment of approximately $194 million from Alibaba Group and an earlier 2010 round of approximately $36 million from CBC Capital, China Merchants Venture Capital, Dazhong Ziben, and New Alliance Capital. Operational partnerships with the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange anchor its positioning in exchange-affiliated investor education and STAR Market coverage, while regulatory licenses for internet news information services and audio-visual program services constitute required sector permissions.

Name

Yicai

Legal name

上海第一财经传媒有限公司

Website

https://yicai.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Yicai is a Shanghai-based Chinese financial media company operating multi-platform distribution across web, mobile, television, radio, newspaper, and magazine. It serves retail and institutional investors, corporate executives, and government organizations with financial news, market data, premium subscriptions, and an AI-powered investment advisor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Media

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Business & Financial News Channels (MPABAIAB)

Keywords

• Financial media
• Investment research
• Market analysis
• Business news
• Premium subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

Jingan

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Display advertising and sponsored content across website, app, and video platforms
2. VIP Subscription Services: Premium subscription products including 'Research Report Selection' (研报金选), 'Announcement Selection' (公告臻选), 'Pre-Market Gold' (盘前点金), 'ETF Gold Mining' (掘金ETF), and various investment courses and educational content
3. Event and Conference Services: Organizing industry events such as CSR Summit, Sustainability Development Conference, Youth 50 Forum, Capital Annual Conference, Biomedical Industry Week, and Global Asset Management Forum
4. Content Licensing: Licensing content to Yicai Global international platform and other media partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yicai (第一财经) operates a multi-platform Chinese financial media conglomerate delivering real-time financial news, market data, investment research, and multimedia content via its news portal, mobile app, TV channel, radio broadcasts, newspaper, magazine, and international platform. The company also runs a portfolio of premium VIP subscription products (research reports, pre-market analysis, ETF tools, investment advisory) and enterprise data services (CBNData, New First-Tier Data Platform) targeting retail and institutional investors plus corporate executives.

Product overview

Yicai (第一财经) is a comprehensive financial media conglomerate operating as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering includes the Yicai.com news portal and mobile application, complemented by premium subscription services (研报金选, 公告臻选, 盘前点金), investment tools (掘金ETF, 龙虎牛熊, 风口秘钥), educational content (从华尔街到陆家嘴, 一财商学院), and an AI-powered personal advisor (第一财经"小龙虾"). The group also encompasses broadcast television, print publications (第一财经日报, YiMagazine), international services (Yicai Global), research institutes (第一财经研究院), and data services (CBNData商业数据中心, 新一线·知城数据平台). The portfolio spans news media, market data, investment advisory, business education, and enterprise data analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 第一财经客户端 (Yicai Mobile App) Yicai's mobile news and information application providing real-time financial news, market data, and multimedia content access for retail investors and general consumers.
• 研报金选 (Research Report Selection) Premium research report subscription service helping investors find and access quality research reports efficiently.
• 公告臻选 (Announcement Selection) Daily announcement selection service that filters and highlights key corporate announcements for investors.
• 盘前点金 (Pre-Market Gold) Pre-market insights service providing daily market intelligence and investment opportunities before market open.
• 掘金ETF (ETF Gold Mining) ETF investment analysis tool using data to identify optimal allocation opportunities in exchange-traded funds.
• 龙虎牛熊 (Dragon Tiger Bull Bear) Market analysis tool tracking institutional and retail fund flows, identifying sector rotation signals and market style switches.
• 风口秘钥 (Wind Mouth Secret Key) Investment advisory service focused on capturing main-stage market opportunities and identifying strong-performing stocks.
• 从华尔街到陆家嘴·投资秘籍 (From Wall Street to Lujiazui Investment Manual) Investment education course providing exclusive investment insights from US markets to A-shares and H-shares.
• 第一财经"小龙虾"AI助手 (Yicai "Xiaolongxia" AI Assistant) AI-powered personal investment advisor embedded with specialized financial skills, providing intelligent investment consultation.
• 第一财经杂志 YiMagazine Monthly business magazine exploring modern commercial trends and business innovation.
• 第一财经日报 (Yicai Daily) Daily financial newspaper providing comprehensive coverage of business, markets, and economy.
• 第一财经电视 (Yicai TV) Financial television programming including market shows, talk shows, and breaking news coverage.
• Yicai Global 一财全球 International news service covering global financial markets and Chinese business for overseas audiences.
• 第一财经研究院 (Yicai Research Institute / CBNRI) Research arm producing economic research, data analysis, and policy insights.
• 第一财经商业数据中心 (CBNData Business Data Center) Business data center providing big data analytics and commercial insights for enterprises.
• 新一线·知城数据平台 (New First-Tier City Data Platform) Urban data platform providing insights into China's new first-tier cities and regional development trends.
• DT商业观察 (DT Business Observation) Data-driven business observation platform covering retail, consumption, and commercial trends.
• 有看投+ (Youkantou+) Investment content aggregation and community platform for financial professionals.
• Yiwealth 一财号 Wealth management media platform covering fund, insurance, and personal finance content.
• 一财商学院 (Yicai Business School) Business education platform offering courses on business skills, AI applications, and global expansion strategies.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shanghai Stock ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYicai collaborates with Shanghai Stock Exchange on the 'Value and Investment' (价值与投资) series, organizing investor relations programs for STAR Market listed companies, focusing on hard technology, frontier technology, and innovation ecosystem coverage
• Shenzhen Stock ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Shenzhen Stock Exchange for ETF investment education and market coverage, including the National ETF Elite Challenge competition with over 1 million participants
• Shanghai Pudong Development BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiatives on financial innovation and corporate banking coverage
• CBNRI (First Financial Research Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYicai Research Institute conducts macroeconomic research and publishes reports including the '2025 Chinese Enterprises Globalization Report' and financial market analysis
• ESG Partnership OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYicai Sustainability Development Research Center collaborates on ESG topics and corporate social responsibility initiatives including the 'Caring for Blue' environmental initiative

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wall Street CN (华尔街见闻): Wall Street CN is a digital-first Chinese financial media platform targeting retail and professional investors with real-time market news and analysis—directly comparable to Yicai's web/app offerings in audience and content type.
• Securities Times (证券时报): Securities Times is a Shenzhen Stock Exchange-affiliated financial newspaper covering A-shares, fund flows, and policy—competing with Yicai in core Chinese capital market reporting despite its exchange affiliation.
• 21st Century Business Herald (21世纪经济报道): 21st Century Business Herald is a major Chinese financial newspaper with strong digital presence covering business, policy, and capital markets—closely comparable to Yicai Daily and the broader Yicai editorial brand in scope and audience.
• Eastmoney (东方财富): Eastmoney is China's largest retail-investor financial information portal combining news, market data, and trading tools—overlapping with Yicai's investor-focused media and data analytics business across the same Chinese retail audience.
• CLS (财联社): CLS is a fast-growing Chinese financial news agency specializing in real-time market-moving news for professional investors—competing directly with Yicai's VIP subscription and breaking-news content for institutional audiences.
• Hexun (和讯网): Hexun is a long-established Chinese financial information portal serving retail investors with news, stock data, and commentary—directly comparable to Yicai's foundational web/app investor content.
• Sina Finance (新浪财经): Sina Finance is a major Chinese financial media vertical within Sina's portal ecosystem covering stocks, funds, and macro news—comparable to Yicai in audience scale, content breadth, and reliance on advertising plus premium services.
• Caixin (财新传媒): Caixin is China's leading independent financial news outlet with a similar premium subscription model, investigative journalism focus, and investor/professional audience—Yicai's closest direct competitor in Chinese-language financial media.

Emerging players

• Xueqiu (雪球): Xueqiu is a social-investing platform with community-driven stock discussion and analysis—partially overlapping with Yicai's Yiwealth content creator program and investor community features, but focused on UGC rather than editorial content.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg (China operations): Bloomberg's Chinese-language service and on-the-ground China reporting team competes with Yicai Global for institutional and high-net-worth Chinese investors, though as part of a much broader global financial data and news portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/china-business-news

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yicai