Ant Group has named Cyril Han as its new Chief Executive Officer, signaling a leadership shift as the financial technology giant aims to rejuvenate its growth following years of regulatory challenges.

Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma voiced confidence in its affiliate Ant Group's future, seeing significant opportunities in artificial intelligence for the fintech giant, at a rare public appearance since China halted its planned IPO in 2020.

Alibaba and Ant Group co-founder Jack Ma said the AI era over the next 20 years would “exceed everyone’s imagination.”