China
Chinese bank loan growth to stay sluggish as retail confidence falters
Chinese bank loan growth to stay sluggish as retail confidence falters
Loan growth has slowed to between 3.8% to 8.8%, said Morningstar.
3 days ago
Chinese banks ramp up overseas investments as low domestic rates bite
The RMB’s share of global trade finance surged to 8.5% in early 2026.
4 days ago
Alipay links AI agent to 30 million Tap! devices
Merchant can talk to “Xiaoyu” and receive an analysis of their operations.
4 days ago
China bank assets grow 8% in Q1 despite rise in bad loans
Assets of large commercial banks grew faster than that of join-stock commercial banks.
4 days ago
China investment banking fees rise even as M&A deals crater 60%
Targeted M&A activity was led by China, with $54b in deals in Q1 2026.
Chinese banks mask capital weakness with government injections
One-off government support does not address banks’ lower profitability and asset quality issues.
Alipay debuts AI agent interface “Ah Bao” in China
Users only need to speak to Ah Bao, pick a service listed, and pay for it without switching apps or pages.
Chinese banks pivot to state and green loans as consumer lending slows
Government exposure made up 16% of banks’ total assets as of April 2026.
UOB appoints Adaline Zheng as China CEO
South Korea country manager George Tung will take over as Hong Kong branch CEO.
TenPay Global lets foreigners send remittances to China via WeChat
TenPay’s cross-border remittance platform has over 60 partners globally.
Standard Chartered completes first QFI China gov’t bond futures trade
It is the only foreign bank amongst the initial six banks allowed to participate in CGB futures.
China new yuan loans shrink $1.47b in April as credit demand stalls
Loans remained concentrated on policy-supported sectors, according to Fitch Ratings.
China bank margins to recover as rate cuts pause but NPLs linger
Retail loan NPLs are yet to peak, said UOB Kay Hian.
How will China’s bank restructuring law reshape the industry?
Stronger lenders may acquire stakes in weaker financial institutions.
Ping An Bank profit rises 3% to $2.12b in Q1
Retail assets under management rose 1.2% during the quarter, said Ping An.
Alipay’s new payment system lets AI agents transact with businesses and OPCs
New tool enables agent-based transactions, following Alipay AI Pay rollout in 2025.
How China wallets crush cards in 2025 payments race
Alipay reached 85% of surveyed users whilst WeChat Pay stood at 73%.
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