China

China Construction Bank, the world's second largest by market value, will soon open a subsidiary and a branch in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Dangerously high levels of corporate debt and a continuing economic deceleration make it imperative that China implement urgent financial sector reforms.

Chinese businessmen continue to avoid taking out medium- and long-term bank loans over short-term worries about China's rapidly decelerating economy.

But they have to lend out around CNY380-500b of new loans in each of the remaining 4 months.

Sales of asset-backed securities in China suspended three years ago have been re-launched to help banks stiffen the country’s sagging banking sector.

ICBC Beijing Branch has included the Thai baht and Philippine peso in its foreign exchange currency services.

Chinese and French state-owned banks have established a US$189 million fund to support each other's small and medium sized enterprises.

China's banks might have lent some US$95 billion in August, a 14% rise spurred by the government's injection of more money into the reeling Chinese economy.

Fitch Ratings Ltd expects the balance sheets of Chinese banks to deteriorate until the first-half of 2013.

Loans by China's Big Four banks to local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) amounting to US$410 billion from January to June has increased the risk of default by these entities.

China's commercial banks are facing a high risk of increased bad loans as local governments try to unleash a new round of stimulus packages.

China’s largest lender reported a 12.5% net profit rise for January to June, or less than half the comparable rate in 2011, while loans overdue for less than three months jumped 60%.

Agricultural Bank of China's profits jumped 20.8 percent year on year in the first half of the year to 80.52 billion yuan.

US authorities have extended investigations of UK's HSBC and Standard Chartered to search for information on Chinese banks' businesses with Iran.

Barclays believes Bank of China (Hong Kong) has capacity to increase lending and pull back from deposit competition.

Find out what analysts have to say about reports of Chinese banks being threatened by worsening short-term liquidity.