Ant Financial Services Group (Ant Financial) has been named to MIT Technology Review's 2017 list of 50 Smartest Companies. To make the list, a company must exhibit technological leadership and business acumen which set them apart from competitors. Ant Financial was listed for applying AI technologies to digital financial services and exploring blockchain technologies to build a more transparent charity platform.

Nanette Byrnes, senior editor for business, states, "The companies on the list combine a high level of technology innovation with a business model that will help them make the most of it. Public and private, large and small, based in countries around the globe, this group of companies is creating new opportunities and pouncing on them. These are the ones that competitors must follow."

"As technologies including AI, security, computing infrastructure, blockchain and biometrics continue to evolve, we have the opportunity to work with our partners and collaboratively redefine a new technology infrastructure for financial services. This will make global financial inclusion possible," said Cheng Li, CTO of Ant Financial.

The list is included in MIT Technology Review's annual business issue, which is available online now and on newsstands worldwide on July 4, 2017.