First Coffee Shop in China Opens as a Bank Branch

In a Beijing suburb, a new kind of hybrid space has opened—not your typical bank or just another café, but a place where you can sip a latte and also open a savings account. This first-of-its-kind experiment merges daily banking with casual coffee culture, offering a new way for urban customers to engage with financial services without the usual sterile bank environment.

Yes, you can now do real banking inside a coffee shop. China’s first ‘coffee bank’ is located inside a Caffebene location near Ciyunsi in Beijing, where Bank of Communications partner China Merchants Bank has installed teller machines, private wealth management offices, and digital service kiosks—all inside a café setting.

What Is a Coffee Bank?

A coffee bank is a physical bank branch embedded within a café. In this case, China Merchants Bank has set up part of its retail banking operations inside a Caffebene coffee shop. Customers can perform standard banking transactions while sitting in a relaxed, café-style environment.

Where Is the First Coffee Bank Located?

The first coffee bank opened near Ciyunsi in Beijing. It is located inside a Caffebene café, one of nearly 400 such outlets operated by the Korean-Chinese coffee chain in China. This specific location was chosen as a pilot site for the novel banking-café fusion concept.

What Banking Services Are Offered Inside the Café?

The café bank includes:

• Two deposit and withdrawal ATMs positioned in a dedicated corner of the café
• A glass-walled private wealth management office called the ‘Golden Sunflower Financial Room’
• A video teller machine allowing remote consultations and services like debit card applications
• An electronic banking experience zone with laptops for online banking access

Customers can queue for ATM services, consult with relationship managers, or handle personal banking tasks through video conferencing—all while surrounded by the ambient sounds and smells of a working café.

Why Did China Merchants Bank Open a Branch in a Café?

According to Liu Jianjun, Vice President of China Merchants Bank, the partnership aims to create a more approachable and humanized banking experience. "We want customers to feel comfortable discussing wealth management over coffee, in a space that feels more like a café than a traditional bank," he explained. The goal is to blend transactional banking with lifestyle and hospitality.

What Is Caffebene’s Role in This Partnership?

Caffebene is a South Korea–based café chain that entered the Chinese market over a year ago. At the time of the launch, it had nearly 400 locations across China and was expanding by around 100 new stores per month. The chain will host further coffee bank branches in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Chongqing.

What Does the Future Hold for Coffee Banks?

The Ciyunsi location is just the beginning. China Merchants Bank and Caffebene plan to roll out more coffee bank outlets in major cities. These branches will continue to feature advanced self-service devices, blending digital banking capabilities with the informal atmosphere of a coffeehouse.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the first bank inside a coffee shop in China?

Yes, the coffee bank near Ciyunsi in Beijing is the first of its kind in China. It combines a China Merchants Bank branch with a Caffebene coffee shop, allowing customers to do real banking inside a café setting.

What services can you get at the coffee bank?

You can use ATMs for deposits and withdrawals, speak with wealth management advisors, apply for debit cards via a video teller, and access online banking—all within the café space.

Where is the coffee bank located?

The first coffee bank is located near Ciyunsi in Beijing, inside a Caffebene café operated by the Korean-Chinese coffee chain.

Why did the bank choose to open inside a coffee shop?

China Merchants Bank aims to offer a friendlier, more relaxed banking environment. By locating inside a café, it hopes to make financial services feel more approachable and humanized.

Will there be more coffee bank locations?

Yes, China Merchants Bank and Caffebene plan to open more coffee bank branches in cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Chongqing, all featuring smart self-service banking equipment.

What is Caffebene?

Caffebene is a South Korea–based coffee shop chain that has expanded rapidly in China, operating nearly 400 stores and adding around 100 new ones each month at the time of the coffee bank launch.

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