The Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area (NETDA) had a breakthrough in its modern service industry in 2013. A project to develop a software outsourcing service platform and smart city development base, Nantong Xinsi Software Co, obtained its business license in 2013. The registered capital of the project is more than 50 million yuan ($8.25 million), and its service outsourcing turnover is expected to reach $100 million. USA Bunge, a Fortune 500 company, registered two financial leasing companies in NETDA, which cost $80 million and $45 million each. The two financial leasing companies are the first in NETDA in the financial services industry to take advantage of foreign capital. NETDA's modern service industry boosts industry and city development and has made great achievements. The investment of the big service industry in NETDA reached 19.8 billion yuan, making up 54 percent of total investment in fixed assets in NETDA. The total investment of the service industry exceeded industry investment for the first time last year.

The service industries in NETDA have made pioneering moves in Nantong. The world's largest tourism service contact center has been established. Nantong's first foreign bank was established in NETDA. Nantong's first industry design and research institute was set up in NETDA. Service outsourcing, software and information, e-commerce, bio-pharmaceutical R&D, finance and other emerging service industries have also taken shape in NETDA. The quota of service outsourcing contracts and the execution amount in NETDA accounted for one-fourth of Nantong's total. The offshore contracts and offshore execution amount in NETDA accounted for half of that in Nantong. Among the 10 leading enterprises in electronics commerce, Roley home textile and Ctrip won top prizes in the application and service industry, respectively. Some financial services enterprises, including HSBC, Huatai Securities and Jianghai, have settled in NETDA. The registered capital of nine venture capital companies has reached 912 million yuan.

NETDA has introduced 15 public platforms in the modern services industry and offers enterprise products such as sewage treatment solutions, information solutions, industrial design and cloud-computing services. Northwestern Polytechnical University's Industrial Design Institute, which settled in Nantong in 2013, is expected to apply for industrial design work in home textile, equipment manufacturing, medical equipment and other characteristic industries in Nantong. Northwestern Polytechnical University's Industrial Design Institute has cooperated with Jiangsu Gemeigao Technology Co to produce tourism products, which were extremely popular.

NETDA has introduced 355 service industry projects of various types, whose total registered capital reached 12.5 billion yuan in the past three years. Inspur, Nanda Softech and some leading domestic enterprises have registered in NETDA. The new registered capital in the service industry in NETDA has reached $288 million, accounting for 40 percent of new registered capital in Nantong. The new registered capital has grown in total volume. Capital structure is also being optimized as fiscal contributions increase year-by-year.