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As shown in the statistics of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), in May 2025, the amount of foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks was RMB 1386.1 billion and RMB 1305.1 billion, respectively. During January to May 2025, the accumulative amount of foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks was RMB 6723.5 billion and RMB 7086.7 billion, respectively. In the US dollar terms, in May 2025, the amount of foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks was USD 192.7 billion and USD 181.4 billion, respectively. During January to May 2025, the accumulative amount of foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks was USD 935.6 billion and USD 986.2 billion, respectively. In May 2025, the amount of cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors was RMB 4480.0 billion and RMB 4242.6 billion, respectively. During January to May 2025, the accumulative amount of cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors was RMB 23086.2 billion and RMB 22354.0 billion, respectively. In the US dollar terms, in May 2025, the amount of cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors was USD 622.7 billion and USD 589.7 billion, respectively. During January to May 2025, the accumulative amount of cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors was USD 3212.8 billion and USD 3110.9 billion, respectively. Addendum: Glossary and relevant definitions Balance of payments (BOP) refers to all economic transactions between residents and non-residents. Foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks refers to settlement and sale transaction that bank executes for customers and for the banks themselves, including statistic data on settlements of forward contracts for foreign exchange settlement and sales and the exercises of option, and excluding the transactions in the interbank foreign exchange market. The statistic reporting date of Foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks should be the trade day of the Foreign exchange settlement and sales transaction. By definition, foreign exchange settlement means that foreign exchange holders sell foreign exchange to banks, and foreign exchange sales means that banks sell foreign exchange to foreign exchange buyers. The newly signed contract amount of forward foreign exchange settlement and sales refers to the binding forward contract between a bank and its client that predetermines foreign exchange currency, amount, exchange rate and tenor which to be executed upon maturity. The unwind amount of forward foreign exchange settlement and sales refers to, where client is unable to perform the original forward contract due to change in its real demand, client to fully or partially close its forward position by executing another deal with opposite direction to the original contract. The rolling amount of forward foreign exchange settlement and sales refers to client to adjust the settlement date of original contract due to change in its real demand. The outstanding amount of forward foreign exchange settlement and sales by the end of the current period refers to the total amount of forward contracts accumulated from all non-matured forward contracts with client. The net Delta exposure of outstanding options refers to the implied foreign exchange spot risk exposure from outstanding option contracts that bank executed with client. The cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors refers to the receipts and payments between domestic non-banking sectors (including institutional and individual residents) and non-residents through domestic banks, excluding receipts and payments in cash. In particular, the statistics includes cross-border receipts and payments between non-banking sectors and non-residents through domestic banks (including RMB and foreign currency), and domestic receipts and payments between non-banking sectors and non-residents through domestic banks (temporarily excluding domestic receipts and payments in RMB between individual residents and non-resident individuals). Data are collected when customers conduct receipts and payments with non-resident counterparties at domestic banks. Specifically, the receipts refer to the capital of non-banking sectors received from non-residents via domestic banks; the payments refer to the capital of non-banking sectors paid to non-residents via domestic banks. 2025-06-17/en/2025/0617/2308.html
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China's External Portfolio Investment Assets at the End of 2024 2025-05-30/en/2025/0530/2307.html
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As at the end of March 2025, China's banking sector recorded external financial assets of USD 1698.0 billion, external liabilities of USD 1511.8 billion, and net external assets of USD 186.2 billion, including net RMB liabilities of USD 309.2 billion and net foreign currency assets of USD 495.4 billion. Among the external financial assets of the banking sector, by instrument, deposits and loans were USD 1019.7 billion, bonds investment, USD 437.6 billion, and other assets including equity, USD 240.7 billion, accounting for 60 percent, 26 percent and 14 percent of the sector's total external financial assets respectively. By currency, RMB assets were USD 489.5 billion, USD assets were USD 867.6 billion, and other currency assets were USD 340.9 billion, accounting for 29 percent, 51 percent and 20 percent respectively. By counterpart sector, the amount invested in the overseas banking sector was USD 836.8 billion, accounting for 49 percent; the amount invested in the overseas non-banking sector was USD 861.3 billion, accounting for 51 percent. Among the external liabilities of the banking sector, by instrument, deposits and loans were USD 675.2 billion, bonds investment, USD 373.4 billion, and other liabilities including equity, USD 463.3 billion, accounting for 45 percent, 25 percent and 31 percent of the sector's total external liabilities respectively. By currency, RMB liabilities were USD 798.7 billion, USD liabilities, USD 342.1 billion, and other currency liabilities, USD 371.0 billion, accounting for 53 percent, 23 percent and 25 percent respectively. By counterpart sector, USD 637.2 billion was from overseas banking sector, accounting for 42 percent; while USD 874.7 billion was from overseas non-banking sector, accounting for 58 percent. (End) 2025-06-26/en/2025/0626/2312.html
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Recently, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) releases data on China's external portfolio investment assets by country/region and by sector of resident holder at the end of 2024. The statistics show that China's external portfolio investment assets (excluding reserve assets) amounted to USD 1417.3 billion by the end of 2024, including USD 859.8 billion in equity investments and USD 557.5 billion in bond investments. The top 5 recipients of Chinese investments were Hong Kong SAR, the United States, Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom, with the amounts being USD 610.1 billion, USD 331.6 billion, USD 115.6 billion, USD 72.0 billion and USD 36.0 billion respectively. By the end of 2024, other financial corporations (non-bank financial institutions), bank and non-financial sector were the main sectors holding external portfolio investment assets, with the amounts being USD 795.5 billion, USD 422.1 billion and USD 199.8 billion respectively, accounting for 56 percent, 30 percent and 14 percent of China’s total external portfolio investment assets. (End) 2025-05-30/en/2025/0530/2306.html
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According to the statistics of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), the Chinese foreign exchange market (excluding foreign currency pairs, the same below) recorded total transactions of RMB 29.04 trillion (equivalent to USD 4.03 trillion) in April 2025. In terms of markets, the transactions volume of client market was RMB 4.18 trillion (equivalent to USD 0.58 trillion), and the transactions volume of interbank market was RMB 24.86 trillion (equivalent to USD 3.45 trillion). In terms of products, the cumulative transactions volume of the spot market was RMB 9.55 trillion (equivalent to USD 1.33 trillion), and that of the derivatives market was RMB 19.49 trillion (equivalent to USD 2.71 trillion). From January to April 2025, a total of RMB 100.28 trillion (equivalent to USD 13.96 trillion) was traded in the Chinese foreign exchange market. 2025-05-23/en/2025/0523/2304.html
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International trade in goods and services of China (updated to April 2026) 2026-05-29/en/2019/0926/1568.html
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The branches and foreign exchange administrative departments of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) in all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government; the branches in Shenzhen, Dalian, Qingdao, Xiamen, and Ningbo; and all designated Chinese-funded foreign exchange banks: To enhance quality and improve efficiency in foreign trade, speed up the development of new forms of trade including cross-border ecommerce, and improve facilitation of the foreign exchange receipts and payments under trade, relevant issues are notified as follows: I. In accordance with the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Printing and Issuing Measures for the Administration of Foreign Exchange Business of Payment Institutions (SAFE Document No.13〔2019〕) when meeting the conditions for customer identification, electronic transaction information collection, and authenticity verification, banks can apply to provide foreign exchange sales and settlement and relevant receipts and payments services to market players of new forms of trade including cross-border ecommerce and comprehensive foreign trade services based on electronic transaction information. As for payment institutions, they can provide these services to cross-border ecommerce players based on electronic transaction information. II. Cross-border ecommerce players can conduct netting settlement between expenses on overseas warehousing, logistics and taxes, and export proceeds, and make declaration of actual receipts and payments data and original data as required. In exports to overseas warehouses by cross-border ecommerce players, the actual sales revenue repatriated can be different from the amount of the same goods on the export declaration form. Cross-border ecommerce players need to submit foreign exchange reports in accordance with the existing regulations on foreign exchange administration for trade in goods. III. Domestic companies engaged in international delivery services, logistics providers and cross-border ecommerce platform companies can pay the overseas warehousing and logistics charges, and taxes that are related to cross-border ecommerce for their customers in advance, but not longer than 12 months in principle. If the advance is paid for non-affiliates or has not been repaid for longer than 12 months, the above domestic companies shall report it to local foreign exchange authorities as required. IV. Domestic individuals engaging in cross-border ecommerce can handle foreign exchange settlement for cross-border ecommerce through their individual foreign exchange accounts. Their annual facilitation quotas will not be employed, provided that they can provide supporting materials or electronic transaction information indicating trading amounts to handle foreign exchange sales and settlement under cross-border ecommerce. V. Any market player that entrusts a third party with export declaration under market procurement trade, if meeting the following conditions, can handle foreign exchange receipts in its own name: (1) The market player engaging in market procurement trade has been filed with the local government platform for market procurement trade ("market procurement trade platform"). The market procurement trade platform shall be able to collect whole process trading and export information, and provide detailed export data corresponding to enterprises and self-employed individuals. (2) The handling bank is technically eligible for receiving and storing trading information, with its system interfaced with the market procurement trade platform, and can use necessary technologies to identify its customers' identities, verify the authenticity of the transactions and guard against repeated use of trading information. VI. Domestic and overseas individuals engaging in market procurement trade can handle foreign exchange settlement for market procurement trade through their individual foreign exchange accounts, in accordance with Article V above. Their annual facilitation quotas will not be employed, provided that they can provide supporting materials or electronic transaction information indicating trading amounts to handle foreign exchange settlement under market procurement trade. VII. Comprehensive foreign trade service providers can handle foreign exchange receipts from exports on a commission basis. Handling banks can handle foreign exchange receipts for exports based on the electronic transaction information pushed by the comprehensive foreign trade service providers, and directly transfer foreign exchange or settled funds into the entrusting customers' accounts. Comprehensive foreign trade service providers and handling banks should meet the following conditions for this business: (1) The handling banks need to meet the requirements of Article I above. (2) The comprehensive foreign trade service providers need to sign the comprehensive service contracts (agreements) with their customers, and have provided comprehensive services including customs and quarantine declaration, logistics, export tax refunding, settlement and credit insurance to their customers. (3) The comprehensive foreign trade service providers have sound risk control systems and are technically eligible for "tracking transactions and keeping risks under control". (4) The comprehensive foreign trade service providers shall explicitly show their customers the real exchange rates and will not be allowed to make illegal gains from exchange rate spreads. VIII. The SAFE will support enterprises to optimize the foreign exchange business processes using technologies. Market players of new forms of trade can access the foreign exchange monitoring system for trade in goods through the connected interface service to search for the status of the list, submit foreign exchange reports for trade in goods, and so on. They can declare the balance of payments based on banks' electronic documents, or declare foreign-related receipts on the ASONE enterprise version online. IX. Banks and payment institutions who verify electronic transaction information shall handle actual receipts and payments data and original data declaration in accordance with the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Printing and Distributing the Guidelines for the Declaration of Balance of Payments Statistics through Banks (2019 Version) (SAFE Document No. 25 〔2019〕). For original data, summary declaration shall be made in the names of banks and payment institutions if a single transaction is within the maxium of US$ 5,000 (US$ 5,000 is permitted). For foreign-related receipts and payments that involve export tax refunding and financing, summary declaration of transactions of the same nature and with the same counterparty can be made on a transaction-by-transaction basis and in the names of enterprises. When handling foreign-related receipts and payments for trade in goods and in services relating to cross-border ecommerce, market procurement trade and comprehensive foreign trade services, banks shall indicate "cross-border ecommerce", "market procurement trade" or "comprehensive foreign trade services" in the remarks on transactions for foreign-related receipts and payments declaration. X. For foreign-related receipts and payments under new forms of trade including cross-border ecommerce, market procurement trade and comprehensive foreign trade services, the SAFE will perform supervision, management, monitoring, verification and inspection in compliance with laws. It will adopt a key list approach to manage unusual transaction players and issue the list to banks and payment institutions. It will keep assessing banks and payment institutions that verify electronic transaction information and disqualify ineligible banks or payment institutions in accordance with laws. XI. Based on the business principles, banks and payment institutions serving new forms of trade shall improve identification and management systems for customers engaging in new forms of trade, tighten classified credit management and conduct sample inspections and verifications of customer IDs and transactions. They shall improve compliance restriction and classified labeling mechanisms, and prudentially handle foreign exchange transactions for market players on the key list and guide customers to handle foreign exchange receipts and payments in compliance with regulations. XII. The SAFE will track innovative development in new forms of trade closely in line with the principle of "serving the real economy, facilitating opening up, tracking transactions and keeping risks under control" to actively respond to market demand. For receipts and payments for new forms of trade that are aligned with the directions of reform and development and are true and reasonable, the branches and foreign exchange administration departments of the SAFE can address them, if necessary, through collective review and deliberation in appropriate processes, but no new administrative permission will be allowed. XIII. Any violations of this Circular and related regulations on foreign exchange administration will be punished in accordance with the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Foreign Exchange Administration. XIV. Definitions (1) Cross-border ecommerce refers to import and export activities through information networks like the Internet for trade in goods or in services. (2) Market procurement trade is a type of trade where commodities are purchased in recognized marketplaces, with export clearance handled by eligible operators. (3) Comprehensive foreign trade service providers refer to enterprises that have foreign trade qualifications and are entrusted by domestic and foreign customers to handle comprehensive services including customs and quarantine declaration, logistics, export tax refunding, settlement, and credit insurance, and to assist with financing through the comprehensive service information platform based on the comprehensive service contracts (agreements) lawfully signed. XV. This Circular will become effective as of issuance. It will prevail in case of any discrepancies with the previous regulations. Upon receiving this Circular, the branches and foreign exchange administration departments of the SAFE shall promptly forward it to the central sub-branches, sub-branches, city commercial banks, rural commercial banks, foreign-funded banks and rural cooperative banks in their respective jurisdictions, and national Chinese-funded banks shall immediately forward it to their branches and sub-branches. In case of any problems during implementation, please contact the SAFE without hesitation. State Administration of Foreign Exchange May 20, 2020 2020-05-20/en/2020/0520/1700.html
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General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed that deepening financial reform and opening-up is essential both for the improvement of financial services and for the prevention of financial risks. As required in the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress, the greater the difficulties and challenges we face, the more important it is for us to go further in reform, remove institutional barriers, and boost internal driving forces for development. In line with the overall arrangements of the Financial Stability and Development Committee (FSDC) under the State Council and the principle of “launching a reform measure when conditions are ripe”, FSDC members, including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the People’s Bank of China, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, have conducted in-depth research and will roll out the following 11 financial reform measures in the near future. 1. The Measures for the Regulatory Assessment of Commercial Banks’ Financial Services for Micro and Small Enterprises will be introduced to improve the incentive and restraint mechanism for the provision of financial services for micro and small enterprises (MSEs). Assessments will be made in terms of credit allocation, specialized internal institution building, implementation of regulatory policies, and innovation of products and services, with differentiated assessment indicators put in place. Relevant requirements for commercial banks will be implemented so that those who have fulfilled their duties will not be held liable for losses. MSE loans will be priced on a differentiated basis. More importance will be attached to the application of assessment results. 2. The Work Plan for Deepening the Reform and Replenishing the Capital of Small and Medium-sized Banks will be released to further push ahead with the reform of small and medium-sized banks and to speed up their capital replenishment. Based on market- and law-based principles, funds will be raised through multiple channels, while capital replenishment will be combined with the optimization of corporate governance. In addition, the Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Rural Credit Cooperatives will be formulated, which is aimed at keeping their county-level legal person status generally stable, enhancing positive incentives, and coordinating reform with risk prevention. 3. The Guidelines on Performance Appraisal of Government-backed Financing Guarantee and Re-guarantee Institutions will be released. It is aimed at prompting government-backed financing guarantee institutions at all levels to prioritize support for MSEs and the agricultural sector and to lower the guarantee fees, so that they will fully play their role in risk sharing and help enterprises resume production and pull through the difficulties. 4. Four regulations, such as the Administrative Measures for Registration-based Initial Public Offerings on ChiNext (For Trial Implementation), and eight major rules, such as the Rules for the Listing of Stocks on ChiNext, will be introduced. They are aimed at advancing the reform of the ChiNext board, launching the pilot registration-based system, and establishing or improving the supporting rules, such as those for the arrangements of the registration-based system, ongoing supervision over ChiNext-listed enterprises, and the sponsorship of offerings on ChiNext. 5. The Guidelines on Companies Listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations Switching Boards for Listing will be released to accelerate the reform of the so-called “new third board”. Active but prudent steps will be taken to launch public offerings, while qualified enterprises will enter the selected tier, and investments by publicly offered funds will be allowed. A mechanism will be established for companies listed on the new third board to switch to other boards for listing, with basic requirements laid down for the scope, conditions, and procedures, so that the role of the new third board as a transitional link will be brought into full play to strengthen the connection between multiple tiers of the capital market. 6. The Administrative Measures for Standardized Commercial Papers will be introduced to regulate the mechanism of financing via standardized commercial papers. Measures will be taken to support bond market circulation of products backed by commercial paper packages and to promote investments in standardized commercial papers by asset management products, so that the bond market will play its part in investment pricing, regulatory arbitrage will be reduced, and better services will be provided for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as supply chain financing. 7. The Rules for the Recognition of Standard Debt Assets will be released to implement the requirements of the new regulations on asset management. The scope and criteria for the recognition of standard debt assets will be defined; a mechanism will be established to recognize the conversion of non-standard debt assets into standard debt assets; and transitional arrangements will be made for existing debt assets that fall into neither standard nor non-standard categories so as to steadily advance the transformation of asset management businesses and enhance the ability of the financial sector to serve the real economy. 8. The Guidelines on the Participation of Foreign Governmental Agencies and International Development Institutions in Bond Businesses will be released, which will further improve the requirements for information disclosures of panda bonds, set detailed rules for the issuance of panda bonds, and encourage issuers with authentic needs for RMB funds to issue bonds in an effort to steadily promote the development of the panda bond market. 9. Efforts will be made to further open up the credit rating sector to both domestic and foreign agencies, allowing qualified international rating agencies as well as private rating agencies to conduct bond credit ratings in China and also encouraging domestic rating agencies to expand their international business. 10. The certified public accountant (CPA) industry will be guided to pursue well-regulated and orderly development. Accounting firms will be urged to improve their quality control systems, and implementation plans will be made to adjust the management of their practices and to improve audit quality effectively so that the overall management of accounting firms will be improved. Moreover, administrative measures will be introduced for the record filing of accounting firms participating in the securities service industry, with the procedures of qualification review and approval abolished for such participation. 11. The Opinions on Strengthening Administrative Penalties for Illegal Financial Conduct will be introduced. Based on the current legal framework and in line with the principle that penalties should be commensurate with the gravity of the offense, the Opinions specifies the criteria for imposing penalties per incident on financial institutions for illegal conduct and the criteria for determining illegal gains. Financial institutions and intermediaries as well as individuals responsible for the illegal conduct will be strictly held accountable according to the law, while efforts will be intensified to crack down on illegal financial conduct so as to effectively deter law breakers and protect the legitimate rights and interests of financial consumers. Office of the State Council Financial Stability and Development Committee May 27, 2020 2020-05-27/en/2020/0527/1693.html
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On the morning of June 8, Pan Gongsheng, Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBC) and Administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), attended the press conference held by the State Council Information Office on issues concerning the Master Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) to introduce financial policies in support of the construction of the Hainan FTP. Deputy Governor Pan noted that, the free flow of factors is the defining feature of a high-level FTP. In particular, the free flow of capital is the fundamental and essential one in this process, constituting a basic condition for trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. In the construction of the Hainan FTP, financial policies will be designed and advanced following three principles. First, FTP policies and systems should be established step by step and phase by phase, as specified in the Master Plan. Second, the financial sector should serve cross-border trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. Third, preventing systemic financial risks should be taken as the bottom line. Deputy Governor Pan pointed out that the overall framework of financial policies supporting the construction of the Hainan FTP mainly consisted of four aspects: facilitating the capital flow in cross-border trade and investment, opening-up of the financial service sector, financial reform and innovation in support of the development of the real economy, and the building of a financial risk prevention and control system. First, the financial sector should serve the liberalization and facilitation of cross-border trade, investment and financing. Policies regarding the high-level opening-up of the current account and the capital account as well as the cross-border capital flow regulation are the essential and core financial policies in the construction of the Hainan FTP. In terms of cross-border trade, fund exchange for trade in goods and services in the Hainan FTP should be highly facilitated, and the authenticity verification of commercial banks be completely shifted from ex-ante reviews to ex-post checks. Meanwhile, measures should be taken to improve the cross-border receipt and payment management policies for new patterns of cross-border trade such as offshore trade and entrepot trade. A policy environment that facilitates the operation of a global settlement center for multinational companies should be fostered. In terms of cross-border direct investment, we will fully implement the foreign investment management system which combines pre-entry national treatment with a management mode based on negative list, explore cross-border direct investment which meets the demand of new market patterns, and launch the systems of Qualified Foreign Limited Partner (QFLP) and Qualified Domestic Limited Partner (QDLP) within the Hainan FTP on a pilot basis. In terms of cross-border financing policies, steps should be taken to establish a new cross-border financing system in Hainan, pilot the cross-border financing policy management framework which merges trading links, implement unified macro-prudential management policies and gradually enable independent cross-border financing by market entities. As the construction of the Hainan FTP is advanced, ways will be explored to give greater autonomy to Hainan resident individuals in the use of foreign exchange. In the meantime, given the strong spillover effects of financial opening-up policies, it is necessary to, based on the existing RMB and foreign currency accounts and free trade accounts, establish an “electronic fence” for funds and build a basic platform for the opening-up of the financian sector in Hainan. Second, financial policies should serve the building of an opening financial service system and the improvement of financial service capabilities in Hainan. The policies for wider opening-up of the financial service sector will be first implemented in the Hainan FTP. We will also further diversify the formats of financial businesses in Hainan, cultivate the financial capabilities of commercial banks and other financial institutions to serve an open economy, and support the construction of international trading platform for factors such as energy, shipping and bulk commodities. Third, the policies should focus on key industries in building a modern industrial system in Hainan. Financial support as well as reform and innovation measures should be enhanced, so as to expand the scale of industrial agglomeration and enhance the competitiveness of key industries in Hainan. Trade finance, consumer finance, green finance as well as the Fintech are to be developed in an innovative manner. Fourth, a financial risk prevention and control system should be established for the construction of the Hainan FTP. A monitoring, early-warning and assessment system, as well as a macro-prudential management system will be established for cross-border capital flow. A review mechanism will be put in place to combat money laundering, terrorism financing and tax evasion. A mechanism of financial regulation coordination that adapts to the construction of the Hainan FTP will also be set up. Deputy Governor Pan stressed that, in the next step, the PBC and the SAFE will, in accordance with the overall arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and the implementation of the Master Plan, work together with the Government of Hainan Province and relevant financial regulators to proactively provide financial support for the reform and opening-up in Hainan. 2020-06-08/en/2020/0608/1705.html
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Since the beginning of this year, government financial agencies and relevant departments have taken actions quickly and proactively to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council. While efforts have been made to keep financial market liquidity adequate at a reasonable level, a series of measures have been introduced, which are primarily aimed at easing the impact of COVID-19 on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). As a result, targeted financial services have been provided for epidemic control, work and production resumption, and the development of the real economy. To further adapt financial support policies to the needs of market entities, the People’s Bank of China, jointly with the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, recently issued the Guiding Opinions on Further Strengthening Financial Services for MSMEs (Yinfa No.120 [2020], hereinafter referred to as the Opinions). The Opinions sets down 30 policy measures on seven aspects, i.e., implementing the policies that provide credit support for MSMEs in their resumption of work and production, launching a project on enhancing commercial banks’ capability to provide financial services for MSMEs, carrying out reform to improve the external policy environment and the incentive and restraint mechanism, giving play to the role of the multi-tiered capital market in providing financial support, stepping up efforts to build the MSME credit system, optimizing local financing environment, and enhancing the organization and implementation of relevant work. It is required in the Opinions that financial institutions fully implement the policies that provide credit support for MSMEs resuming work and production, and launch a project on enhancing their capability to provide financial services for MSMEs. National banks will play a leading role by offering preferential pricing rates at least 50 basis points lower for internal transfers; inclusive loans issued to micro and small businesses (MSBs) by the five state-owned large commercial banks will grow at a rate higher than 40 percent; and development banks and policy banks will ensure that the RMB350 billion of special credit quota is put in place and that preferential interest rates are offered to MSMEs to support their resumption of work and production. Commercial banks will revise up the weight of inclusive finance to over 10 percent in the overall performance appraisal of their branches and sub-branches while significantly increasing credit-based loans and first-time loans to MSBs as well as renewed MSB loans not conditioned on the repayment of the principal due. Insurance companies will be encouraged to explore the role of insurance by offering targeted insurance products to provide loan guarantees. It is noted in the Opinions that reform will be carried out to improve the external policy environment and the incentive and restraint mechanism for banking financial institutions. A mix of monetary policy tools will be used to enhance countercyclical adjustment and structural adjustment in monetary policy and to guide the ramp-up of credit support for MSMEs by financial institutions. Work will be done to establish or improve the regulatory assessment of commercial banks’ financial services for MSBs, the administrative measures for performance appraisal of financial enterprises, and the assessment of government-backed financing guaranties, and to enhance external assessment and incentive mechanisms. With efforts made to bring out the role of local government-backed financing guaranty agencies in credit enhancement, the coverage of government-backed financing guaranties will be expanded considerably and guaranty fees reduced markedly. The National Financing Guaranty Fund will try to achieve the goal of expanding its re-guarantee business by RMB400 billion in 2020. Moreover, it will cooperate with banking financial institutions on guaranteed bulk lending and increase its share of risk liabilities in the cooperation to 30 percent. As stated in the Opinions, the multi-tiered capital market will play its part in providing financing support. Measures will be taken to raise net financing via corporate debenture bonds, which is expected to see a year-on-year increase of RMB1 trillion. Financial institutions will issue special financial bonds worth RMB300 billion for MSBs so as to release more resources to support MSB loans. Work will to done to support the listing of qualified small and medium-sized enterprises, accelerate the reform of the ChiNext board, and launch the pilot registration-based system. The rules on issuance and financing on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations, the so-called “new third board”, will be optimized, while venture capital enterprises and angel investors will be guided and encouraged to focus their investments on MSMEs as well as innovative enterprises. 2020-06-02/en/2020/0602/1702.html