Indications are that it's seeking people with international working experience, fluency in English and practical experience in areas such as environmental protection, public procurement, law and loan approval.

Candidates with related experience and expertise have already been actively seeking roles at the emerging bank. An executive with a major State-owned bank who asked not to be identified said he has been seeking channels to reach the Secretariat since July. He has a number of years of overseas working experience.

"I feel the potential is very bright," he said, adding that some colleagues he knows were temporarily dispatched to the Secretariat.

The AIIB will launch a formal recruitment program for global elites in the fall, the 21st Century Business Herald reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Top talent is required for the bank to achieve a high standard of performance, experts said.

The Finance Ministry said earlier that the list of founding members will be finalized as early as mid-April, and it is currently working out articles of association. That task is expected to be complete by midyear, before the bank is formally launched at the end of the year.

As of Tuesday, 35 countries had stepped forward as prospective founding members, while 52 had publicly filed applications to join.

Behind the intensive preparations and talent hunt, a key figure is Jin Liqun, the Interim Secretariat's chairman. He is a former vice-minister of finance and served at both the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. He is unknown to many, but acquaintances speak highly of him.

"He is an experienced, savvy guy," said Nicholas Lardy, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "He's hiring an able staff of about 40 people, half from China's Finance Ministry, half recruited internationally."

He's hiring an able staff of about 40 people, half from China's Finance Ministry, half recruited internationally."