China’s Tiger Brokers Adopts DeepSeek AI as Other Countries Move to Ban It

Key Takeaways

• Chinese online brokerage firm Tiger Brokers is implementing DeepSeek’s model into its AI-powered chatbot.
• Over 20 Chinese brokers and investment firms have begun integrating DeepSeek into their business.
• DeepSeek’s success has been met with pushback from global regulators.

On Tuesday, Feb. 18, China-based online broker Tiger Brokers announced that it had launched DeepSeek’s model into its AI-powered chatbot.

The move comes as China’s finance industry has rushed to take advantage of DeepSeek’s runaway success—while other countries have made moves to ban the disruptive startup.

Tiger Brokers Deploy DeepSeek

According to a company release , DeepSeek’s R1 model will be deployed into the Tiger Brokers chatbot, TigerGPT. This will allow DeepSeek to work with Tiger’s financial data and aid customers in trading decisions.

Wu Tianhua, founder and CEO of Tiger Brokers, said the company will also use the model to help customers analyze valuations.

“The upgraded TigerGPT offers professional investment insights, empowering both novice investors and experienced professionals to make more informed decisions in complex market conditions, ultimately driving long-term investment value,” Tianhua added.

Since launching in 2023, TigerGPT has been consistently integrating new AI technology into its model.

TigerGPT reportedly serves over 110,000 users globally with financial queries.

DeepSeek’s Impact on China

The launch of DeepSeek-R1 has reshaped China’s place in the global AI race by demonstrating a breakthrough performance without the need for massive hardware investments.

The company’s low-cost approach has rattled established industry players. This is evidenced by the dramatic increase in Chinese tech stocks, as investors put more faith in the country’s capabilities amid continued tensions with the U.S.

DeepSeek’s open-source model has driven the rapid deployment of AI applications within finance, e-commerce, and other industries.

Over 20 Chinese brokers and investment firms have reportedly begun to integrate DeepSeek into their business, Reuters reported .

At the same time, DeepSeek’s success coincided with a steep drop in U.S. market reactions, like that of leading chipmaker Nvidia.

DeepSeek’s AI Race Impact

The ripple effects of DeepSeek’s breakthrough have caused some experts to reassess how global companies are developing AI.

DeepSeek has challenged the long-thought notion that cutting-edge AI requires massive capital expenditure and specialized infrastructure.

After DeepSeek raced to the top of the U.S. Apple app store charts, reports of the AI model’s apparent cheap development cast doubt over America’s leading U.S. firms.

According to 2023 estimates from research firm SemiAnalysis , ChatGPT used to cost OpenAI around $700,000 daily to run, but in 2025 a single query  can now cost $1,000.

Countries Banning DeepSeek

DeepSeek’s success has been met with pushback from global regulators due to concerns surrounding national security and data protection.

On January 29, Wiz Research published a report warning that a DeepSeek database had been left exposed, exposing “over a million lines of log streams with highly sensitive information.”

At the time of reporting, five countries have either outright banned or restricted DeepSeek.