China

Thanks partly to fast balance sheet expansion.

There's also rising appetite for interbank business.

The market only expected a 50bps cut.

The cut is the second in 2015.

This and other results aligned with expectations.

High impairment dragged earnings down, though.

There are challenges to watch, though.

HK still takes the lion's share.

Total return dipped just a tad 0.22%.

Deteriorating asset quality to smash banks' profitability.

But its asset quality slightly deteriorated.

Strong corporate demand's a factor.

The Guangdong Free Trade Zone (FTZ) opens on March 18, according to a trade association in the province. This is expected to deepen economic integration between Guangdong, Macau, and Hong Kong.

It's a slight improvement compared to 2013.

It's in line with economic stability efforts.

Its solid position has been strengthened further.