As humanoid robots move toward commercial use, Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area is exploring financial leasing to reduce upfront costs and make robots more affordable for businesses.

Yangtze United Financial Leasing recently launched a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) in the area to facilitate industrial robot leasing. The project pools robot assets for centralized management and offers leasing plans tailored to specific equipment and usage needs.

A SPV is launched by Yangtze United Financial Leasing in Lin-gang to facilitate the financial leasing of industrial robots. [Photo/Yangtze United Financial Leasing]

This gives robotics companies more flexible asset management and financing options beyond outright equipment sales, while allowing users to access robots without paying the full purchase price upfront.

It marks a milestone in Lin-gang's latest expansion of its financial leasing pilot program, broadening the range of eligible leased assets to include industrial robots, data center equipment, resource extraction machinery, simulators, and aviation materials.

The expansion comes amid the rapid growth of Lin-gang's financial leasing sector, which plays an increasingly important role in supporting the development of a modern industrial system. By the end of 2025, the area was home to 137 SPVs, with total assets of 24.11 billion yuan ($3.61 billion).