China

ABC will hold 51 per cent stake of Jiahe Life, becoming the controlling shareholder. Shares held by the former five shareholders of Jiahe Life accounted for 49 per cent of the total, with 9.8 per cent respectively.

Maybank has entered into a strategic partnership with Xinhua News Agency.

China's banking regulator announced that the country's commercial banks had improved their capital adequacy at the end of last year.

CCB is the only lender among China’s to four that is yet to get approval from Taiwanese regulator.

China’s central bank has vowed to adopt a more market-based system for setting interest rates but has proceeded cautiously.

ICBC agreed to loan at least US$9.1 billion to China's press and publication sector over the next five years.

The move is seen to increase the company’s competitiveness in wooing investors for financial services in China.

The lender plans to subscribe to 1.04 billion new shares to be issued by the insurer worth $392.55mn overall.

 ABC will build itself into an outstanding large listed bank beginning 2011.

ICBC secured the first place in the ranking of Chinese cash management banks by scoring more than 500,000 customers as of the end of 2010.

Moody's upgraded China Everbright Bank's (CEB) long-term foreign currency deposit ratings to Baa3 from Ba1. It also upgraded its short-term foreign currency deposit ratings to Prime-3 from Not-Prime. The outlook is stable.

Moody's affirmed Shenzhen Development Bank's Ba2 long-term foreign currency deposit Rating. It also affirmed its D- bank financial strength rating and Not Prime short-term foreign currency rating.

DBS would want to have 50 branches in China over the next three years and. It also intends to do the same in India by setting up a locally incorporated banking unit.

China banker said consumer credit, asset management and credit cards businesses would prosper over the next few years.

Agricultural Bank of China Limited has made substantial progress in the construction of the video monitoring network system. Recently, ABC Ningbo Branch held the "Opening Ceremony of Ningbo Branch Video Monitoring Center". Mr. Cai Huaxiang, Member of CCP Committee and Vice President of ABC attended the ceremony.

The Chinese banking sector continues to flourish and the number of hedge fund investors is increasing rapidly in the country on the back of its strong economic growth.