October 27, 2009 – The "Golden Unicorn" Poll on financial institutions undertaken by Sina Finance for the year 2009 voted ICBC the "Best Overall Bank of the Year" amongst 149 banks in terms of solid customer base, diversified service structures, strong innovation capabilities and market competitive edges. 

Sina 2009 "Golden Unicorn Award – Financial Institutions Poll" is an internet survey jointly organized by Sina Finance and IPSOS. The winners are determined by the review of financial enterprises' brands from three dimensions of corporate reputations, corporate brand and customer satisfaction, the consolidation of voting result from the netizens and the opinions from the expert advisory panel. The survey indicated three most important factors valued by consumers to judge the participants, namely: good performance of the enterprise, timely feedback to customers' needs and savings deposit service. The result shows ICBC staying far ahead of all other banks by gaining the highest recognition and reputation from customers. 

Sina Golden Unicorn Forum enters into the second year since its inauguration in 2008. The Forum features three topical programs of Financial Service Institutions Poll, Financial and Economic Thematic Salon, Golden Unicorn Summit & Award Ceremony. The aim of "Golden Unicorn Award – Financial Institutions Poll" is to shape the service performance of high-end brand as the review criteria to award the financial enterprises across different industries, mainly banks, insurance companies, securities firms and fund houses. The poll reviews the brands that catch the most attention from the mid-to-high-end consumers with an eye on the service performance and user experience and aims to be a brand in ranking financial services from the standpoint of consumers.