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☆ Former China Everbright Group Chairman Arrested on Suspicion of Corruption -State Media
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - A former chairman of state-owned financial conglomerate China Everbright Group, Tang Shuangning, was arrested on suspicion of taking bribes and corruption, state media reported on Monday, citing China’s top prosecutor. Tang, 69, was expelled from China's Communist Party earlier this month for severe violations and disciplines, in an intensified campaign aimed at weeding out corrupt officials in the financial sector. Reuters was not immediately able to reach Tang for comment. Tang served as vice chairman of China's top banking regulator in 2003 before he was appointed as chairman of China Everbright Group in 2007. (Reporting by Ziyi Tang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Tom Hogue and Christian Schmollinger)

Persons: Tang Shuangning, Tang, People's Procuratorate, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Tom Hogue, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: China Everbright Group, China's Communist Party, Reuters Locations: BEIJING, China

Local governments plan to use the proceeds of the latest bond sales to purchase equity or convertible bonds from smaller banks, most of them state-owned, effectively recapitalising them, according to the deal prospectuses. DEEPER IN DEBTThe intensified efforts to support smaller banks also come amid growing worries about the impact of ballooning local government debt on the economy. While policymakers are highly concerned over rising debt levels, Beijing has little option but to support smaller banks to contain spillover risks, analysts said. It was not immediately clear if the central authorities had given any guidance to the local governments on recapitalising smaller banks, and who were the buyers of these special-purpose bonds. "Local governments are a likely the first line of defense whenever regional banks become stressed," they said.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Gavekal, Zhang Xiaoxi, Pan Gongsheng, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, China Electronic Local Government Bond, Authorities, National Financial Regulatory Administration, International Monetary Fund, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights BEIJING, China, Henan, China's, Liaoning, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia

☆ China needs to unblock, sustain financial channels for private firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Private firms, which account for 60% of China's gross domestic product and 80% of urban jobs, were hurt by three years of COVID curbs and a regulatory crackdown that targeted sectors from technology to private tutoring. Banking and financial institutions should set annual service targets for private enterprises, increase the weight of related businesses serving private enterprises in performance appraisal and gradually increase the proportion of loans to private enterprises, it said. China should also expand private firms' bond financing and guide financial institutions to expand the bond financing scale of private enterprises, according to the statement. China should back the listing, mergers and acquisitions, and reorganisation of private enterprises, including supporting qualified companies in going public overseas, it said. Fixed-asset investment by private firms fell 0.6% in January-September year-on-year, highlighting weak private sector confidence.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Ryan Woo, Ziyi Tang, Kevin Yao, Christopher Cushing Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Banking, Garden Holdings, HK, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ China wealth manager Zhongzhi flags insolvency, $64 bln in liabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Nov 23 (Reuters) - China's Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, a leading wealth manager, told investors it is heavily insolvent with up to $64 billion in liabilities, threatening to reignite concerns that the country's property debt crisis is spilling over into the broader financial sector. The firm, which has sizable exposure to China's real estate sector, apologised to its investors in a letter that said it had total liabilities of about 420 billion yuan ($58 billion) to 460 billion yuan ($64 billion). The liabilities compared to Zhongzhi's estimated total assets of about 200 billion yuan, according to the letter, which was issued on Wednesday and was seen by Reuters. 'ENORMOUS' HOLESigns of trouble at the Zhongzhi group first came to light in July when Zhongrong International Trust Co, a leading trust company controlled by Zhongzhi, missed payments on dozens of investment products. "The Zhongzhi group deeply apologises for the losses caused to investors.

Persons: Zhongzhi, Xu, Xing Zhaopeng, Christopher Beddor, Beddor, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Organizations: Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Reuters, International Trust Co, Big, ANZ, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, Zhongzhi, China's, China

☆ China wealth manager Zhongzhi flags insolvency, liabilities of $64 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The firm, which has sizable exposure to China's real estate sector, apologised to its investors in a letter that said it had total liabilities of about 420 billion yuan ($58 billion) to 460 billion yuan ($64 billion). The liabilities compared to Zhongzhi's estimated total assets of about 200 billion yuan ($27 billion), according to the letter, which was issued on Wednesday and was seen by Reuters. China's highly indebted property sector has been reeling from a liquidity crunch since 2020. Signs of trouble at the Zhongzhi group first came to light in July when Zhongrong International Trust Co, a leading trust company controlled by Zhongzhi, missed payments on dozens of investment products. "The Zhongzhi group deeply apologises for the losses caused to investors.

Persons: Zhongzhi, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Organizations: Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Reuters, International Trust Co, Big, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, Zhongzhi, China's, China

☆ China wealth manager Zhongzhi flags insolvency, $64 billion in liabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

☆ What do we know about China's new financial watchdog?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Nov 21 (Reuters) - China's Central Financial Commission (CFC), a new regulator with Premier Li Qiang as its head, held a meeting on Monday and urged stronger supervision of risks in the financial sector as Beijing accelerates efforts to become a "major financial power". The CFC was set up for the top-level design, development and supervision of the financial sector, strengthening "unified leadership on financial work", according to a restructuring plan published by state media in March this year. The CFC has recruited many officials from the central bank and the finance ministry, financial news outlet Caixin reported earlier this month. The appointments indicate that both officials, who are close confidants of President Xi Jinping, will play important roles in shaping China's financial policies. He was also appointed as party chief of a separate Central Financial Work Commission (CFWC), which has been set up to strengthen the ideological and political role of the party in China's overall financial system.

Persons: Li Qiang, Premier Li, Li, Lifeng, Xi Jinping, Wang Jiang, Xia Xiande, Xi, Ziyi Tang, Kevin Yao, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: Financial Commission, Communist Party, CFC, WHO, THE, Financial Work, China Everbright Group, Analysts, Reuters, National Financial Regulatory Administration, State Council, People's Bank of China, prudential, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Lincoln

☆ Exclusive: China orders local governments to cut exposure to public-private projects as debt risks rise, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The guidelines were mentioned in a cabinet document that was circulated among local governments, policy banks and state lenders last month, said the two sources with knowledge of the matter. The move comes after numerous local governments' PPP expenditure hit the upper limit of the threshold in recent years. But the PPP boom has alarmed authorities who say some local governments have used public-private partnerships, government investment funds and government procurement services as "disguised channels" for raising debt. The State Council and the NAO did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments. A portion of the $12.6 trillion local government debt is linked to the PPP projects, as municipalities used these infrastructure-building initiatives as a conduit to raise capital.

Persons: Thomas Peter, NAO, Kevin Yao, Ziyi Tang, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: Central Business District, National People's Congress, REUTERS, Rights, International Monetary Fund, National Audit, State, State Council, Bank of, Reuters, National Development, Reform Commission, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Bank of China

☆ Four killed in building collapse in China's Wenzhou city
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Four people were killed when a building collapsed in China's Wenzhou city, state media outlet CCTV reported on Sunday. The collapse occurred on Saturday during renovation of the building, and the casualties were all construction workers, CCTV reported, adding that continuous rain had hampered rescue work. The accident in the eastern city follows several similar incidents recently, including the collapse of a gym in heavy snow in the northeast province of Heilongjiang last week, which killed three. In July, 11 people were killed when the roof of a school gym caved in during intense rain, also in Heilongjiang province, drawing criticism by media. Authorities said construction materials illegally stacked on the roof may have caused the collapse, Xinhua reported.

Persons: Andrew Hayley, Ziyi Tang, Robert Birsel Organizations: Authorities, Xinhua, Weibo, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China's Wenzhou, Heilongjiang, Heilongjiang province

☆ Four Killed in Building Collapse in China's Wenzhou City
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - Four people were killed when a building collapsed in China's Wenzhou city, state media outlet CCTV reported on Sunday. The collapse occurred on Saturday during renovation of the building, and the casualties were all construction workers, CCTV reported, adding that continuous rain had hampered rescue work. The accident in the eastern city follows several similar incidents recently, including the collapse of a gym in heavy snow in the northeast province of Heilongjiang last week, which killed three. In July, 11 people were killed when the roof of a school gym caved in during intense rain, also in Heilongjiang province, drawing criticism by media. Authorities said construction materials illegally stacked on the roof may have caused the collapse, Xinhua reported.

Persons: Andrew Hayley, Ziyi Tang, Robert Birsel Organizations: Authorities, Xinhua, Weibo Locations: BEIJING, China's Wenzhou, Heilongjiang, Heilongjiang province

☆ China's He Lifeng named to key post in Central Financial Commission
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Nov 6 (Reuters) - A Chinese vice premier, He Lifeng, has been appointed head of the office of the Central Financial Commission (CFC), which is responsible for running day-to-day affairs of a new regulator tasked with overseeing a vast financial sector. He was also appointed as party chief of a separate Central Financial Work Commission (CFWC), which has been set up to strengthen the ideological and political role of the party in China's overall financial system. The appointments, announced by the central bank's Financial News publication, underscore how the ruling Communist Party has taken direct control of supervising the financial sector. He has also been appointed director of a key ruling Communist Party economic body, the Central Finance and Economic Affairs Commission, replacing Liu He. In 2014, He was named vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the state planning agency, before taking full control in 2017.

Persons: Lifeng, Florence, Xi Jinping, Liu He, Xi, Ziyi Tang, Kevin Yao, Ryan Woo, Edwina Gibbs, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Central Financial Commission, Financial Work, Financial, Communist Party, Central Finance, Economic Affairs Commission, Xiamen University, National Development, Reform Commission, Thomson Locations: China, EU, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Rights BEIJING, Quanzhou, Fujian province, Xiamen, Tianjin

HONG KONG/BEIJING, Sept 28 (Reuters) - China Evergrande Group's (3333.HK) founder is being investigated over suspected "illegal crimes", the embattled developer said on Thursday, as creditors become increasingly concerned about the group's prospects amid an uncertain debt revamp plan and liquidation risk. Evergrande has been working to get creditors' approval for restructuring its offshore debt. The offshore debt restructuring plan now looks set to falter and the risks of the company being liquidated are rising, some analysts said. An Evergrande sign is seen near residential buildings at an Evergrande residential complex in Beijing, China September 27, 2023. "We believe that Evergrande's debt turmoil has had a great turmoil and negative impact on the global economy, and the things behind it are not simple."

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande, Hui, Gary Ng, Ng, Florence Lo, They've, Christopher Beddor, Yan Yuejin, Saxo, Redmond Wong, Upasana Singh, Donny Kwok, Scott Murdoch, Ziyi Tang, Anne Marie Roantree, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill, Shri Navaratnam, Lincoln, Miral Fahmy, Susan Fenton Organizations: HK, Trading, Asia Pacific, Reuters, REUTERS, Evergrande, China Research, Development Institution, Buyers, China Market, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, BEIJING, China, Asia, Beijing, Evergrande, Shanghai, Bengaluru, Hong Kong, Sydney

☆ Evergrande shares halted as concerns mount about developer's prospect
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An Evergrande sign is seen near residential buildings at an Evergrande residential complex in Beijing, China September 27, 2023. Evergrande has been working to get creditors' approval for restructuring its offshore debt. The offshore debt restructuring plan now looks set to falter and the risks of the company being liquidated are rising, some analysts said. The company shares ended down 19% on Wednesday in the Hong Kong market, taking their losses to 81% since the resumption of trading in late August after a 17-month suspension. The recent regulatory easing may stabilize the housing market in the world's second-largest economy to some extent, Saxo Greater China Market Strategist Redmond Wong wrote in a research note.

Persons: Florence Lo, Hui Ka Yan, Hui, Evergrande, Gary Ng, Ng, Redmond Wong, Donny Kwok, Scott Murdoch, Ziyi Tang, Anne Marie Roantree, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, China Evergrande, HK, Bloomberg, Reuters, Asia Pacific, China Market, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, HONG KONG, China's, Evergrande, Asia, Hong Kong, Saxo, Sydney, Lincoln

☆ Chinese state firms' help to troubled shadow bank does little to address investor concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The involvement of two Chinese state-owned financial firms in Zhongrong International Trust Co's operations and management may diffuse risk at the troubled shadow bank but does little to ease concerns about missed payments, analysts and investors said. It was not immediately clear whether the support by the two firms was engineered by the Chinese authorities, but Beijing has previously bailed out troubled financial firms by roping in state entities to contain broader contagion risk. The agreement allows the two financial firms to "provide professional services for operations and management" of Zhongrong, it said, adding the move would not impact its debt ownership and legal relationship in trust products. That would further dampen investors' confidence in trust products." "It's good news and at least provides some clarity," said Zhang, who is an investor in a Zhongrong trust product and gave only his surname due to sensitivity of the matter.

Persons: Zhongrong, They'll, Zhang, Xu, I've, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: Trust, Citic Trust, CCB, Citic Group, China Construction Bank, National Financial Regulatory Administration, People's Bank of China, Citic, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing

The figures suggest that China's latest steps to revive a crisis-hit property market, including lower mortgage rates and down payments, could unlock some pockets of housing demand in the most sought-after areas, but may struggle to halt the broader property market downturn. "These measures may generate a short-term rebound in property transactions, but are insufficient to stabilize the property market," Goldman Sachs analysts said in a note. But Yu Fei, a property sales agent at HomeLink, said the initial spike in interest he noticed in the first few days is already petering out. "Many homebuyers remain in a wait-and-see approach, some hoping for more radical policies to stimulate the property market," Yu said. Goldman analysts said if property sales kept sliding policymakers could release more liquidity into the market by cutting banks' reserve requirement ratios, lowering rates, easing home purchasing rules further.

Persons: Jason Lee, Goldman Sachs, Zhang Guoqiang, I'm, Zhang, Zhao Jie, Yu Fei, Yu, Goldman, Wan, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, China Index, Haitong Securities, Longfor, HK, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, HONG KONG, China's

☆ Analysis: China needs more than cheaper mortgages to revive spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China said last week it would cut interest rates on existing mortgages and eased rules for first-time buyers in big cities, in what the central bank and financial regulators jointly said were moves "conducive to expanding consumption." But to prevent profit margins from shrinking further, state-owned banks have also lowered deposit rates by 10-25 basis points in a coordinated move. But they also warn that a 15 basis point cut in interest rates on Chinese households' 131.4 trillion yuan of deposits reduces interest income by 197 billion per year. Mortgage rates for first homes are around 4%, while one-year fixed deposit rates are roughly 1.5%. "People don't consume because they don't have money so cutting deposit rates cannot really work."

Persons: Simon, Yu, government's, Ting Lu, Zhaopeng Xing, Li Xiao, Li, Guo, Nancy Yang, Yang, Jason Xue, Samuel Shen, Winni Zhou, Gao, Ellen Zhang, Ziyi Tang, Joe Cash, Marius Zaharia, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Nomura, ANZ, HIT, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, BEIJING, Shanghai, Beijing, China, Guangdong, Wuhan

☆ Three major China banks to lower rates on existing first-home mortgages
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People walk past a branch of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) in Beijing, China April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Three of China's major state banks said on Thursday they will start to lower interest rates on existing mortgages for first-home loans. Interest rates on existing first-home loans will be cut to the level in place when a home was purchased, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) (601398.SS), Agricultural Bank of China (601288.SS) and Bank of China Ltd (BOC) (601988.SS) said in statements. China's home loans totalled 38.6 trillion yuan ($5.3 trillion) at the end of June, representing 17% of banks' total loan books. ($1 = 7.3232 Chinese yuan)Reporting by Ziyi Tang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Commercial Bank of China Ltd, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China Ltd, BOC, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

Coins and banknotes of China's yuan are seen in this illustration picture taken February 24, 2022. Country Garden, China's largest private developer by sales, did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Lower deposit rates will partially offset various pressures on banks' narrowing net interest margins - a key gauge of profitability, said Nicholas Zhu, a banking analyst at Moody's. "The impact of the deposit rate cut is material, given that close to three-quarters of Chinese banks' liabilities are deposits," Zhu said. China's mortgage loans totalled 38.6 trillion yuan ($5.29 trillion) at the end of June, representing 17% of banks' total loan books.

Persons: Florence Lo, Nicholas Zhu, Zhu, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Wang Jing, Davide Barbuscia, Anne Marie Roantree Organizations: REUTERS, HK, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank Corp, Agricultural Bank of China, Reuters, Industrial Bank Co Ltd, China Bohai Bank Co Ltd, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Washington, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, New York, Lincoln

The logo of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is pictured at the entrance to its branch in Beijing, China April 1, 2019. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) (601398.SS), the country's biggest lender, and Bank of China (BoC) (601988.SS) posted in exchange filings first half profit growth of 1.2% and 0.78%, respectively, from a year earlier. "There are some regional risks that have begun to emerge," Liu said, adding that asset quality has declined slightly but remains under control. BoC's NIM narrowed to 1.67% at end-June from 1.7% at end-March. "Chinese banks are likely to continue to face earnings pressure from margin compression," said Ming Tan, director at S&P Global Ratings.

Persons: Florence, Liu Jiandong, Liu, NIM, BoC's NIM, ICBC, Ming Tan, Tan, BoC's, Ziyi Tang, Engen Tham, Selena Li, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Mark Potter, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, REUTERS, BoC, Commercial Bank of China Ltd, Bank of China, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, ICBC's

☆ Top China bank ICBC posts 1.2% H1 profit rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is pictured at the entrance to its branch in Beijing, China April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) (601398.SS), the country's biggest lender, said on Wednesday net profit grew 1.2% year-on-year in the first half of this year. Profit was 173.74 billion yuan ($23.83 billion) for the first half of this year, compared with the restated 171.67 billion yuan in the same period a year earlier, the bank said in a filing. ($1 = 7.2543 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ziyi Tang, Engen Tham and Selena Li; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence, Ziyi Tang, Engen Tham, Selena Li, Muralikumar Organizations: Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Commercial Bank of China Ltd, Profit, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ Chinese banks to cut existing mortgage rates as property crisis deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The reduction in existing mortgage rates will come amid several other property, economic and market support measures Beijing has announced over the past few weeks, as concerns mount about the health of the world's second-largest economy. Chinese lenders were widely expected to cut interest rates on existing mortgages after the PBOC earlier this month said that it would guide commercial banks to do so. The central bank's proposal to cut rates, which came after a wave of early repayments of mortgage debt, aims to reduce the interest rate costs for homebuyers and to boost consumption in a slowing economy. Adjusting existing mortgage rates is conducive to easing pressure on banks from mortgage prepayment, Lin Li, vice president of Agricultural Bank of China Ltd (601288.SS), the country's No.3 lender by assets, said earlier on Tuesday. Cutting deposit rates could help banks to maintain a proper level of NIM, one of the sources said.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Zhu Qibing, Lin Li, Fu Wanjun, NIM, Xiangming Hou, Rong Ma, Tang, Ryan Woo, Selena Li, Sumeet Chatterjee, Alex Richardson, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Agricultural Bank of, REUTERS, Bank, BEIJING, People's Bank of China, Reuters, HK, BOC International China, Citigroup, Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, Agricultural Bank, China's, Thomson Locations: Agricultural Bank of China, Beijing, China, Hong Kong

☆ China Construction Bank H1 profit up 3.36%
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

China Construction Bank Corp (CCB) logo is seen on its headquarters in Beijing, China, March 31, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies H1 net profit 167.34 bln yuan vs 161.9 bln year agoNIM 1.79% end-June vs 1.83% end-MarchNPL ratio 1.37% end-June vs 1.38% end-MarchBEIJING/SHANGHAI, Aug 23 (Reuters) - China Construction Bank Corp (CCB)(601939.SS), the first of the country's Big Five lenders to report half-year results this week, posted a 3.36% rise in first-half net profit on Wednesday. China's second-biggest lender by assets saw profits rise to 167.34 billion yuan ($22.95 billion), a filing by the bank showed. The bank said it will continue to fulfill the responsibilities of a major state bank and provide strong financial support for the real economy for the rest of this year. ($1 = 7.2901 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ziyi Tang and Engen Tham; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Kyung, China's, CCB, CCB's, Ziyi Tang, Engen, Jason Neely Organizations: China Construction Bank Corp, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, BEIJING, SHANGHAI

China cut its one-year benchmark lending rate on Monday, which is set to further weigh on banks' NIM. Chinese commercial banks' NIM shrank sharply to 1.74% last quarter from 1.91% at the end of 2022, official data showed. Shares of China's biggest five banks have been sliding since early May amid concerns over the weakening economy. Debt-laden municipalities represent a major risk to China's economy and financial stability, after years of over-investment in infrastructure and plummeting returns from land sales. Still, there's really no getting around the fact that banks will need to sacrifice profitability to support the economy this year," Beddor added.

Persons: Florence, headwinds, Gary Ng, NIM, Christopher Beddor, there's, Beddor, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee, Himani Organizations: Bank of Communications, Fair for Trade, Services, REUTERS, China Construction Bank, Corporate, Investment Banking, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, Bank of Communications Co, Agricultural Bank of China, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING

☆ Furious Chinese investors lodge complaints over trust firm's missed payments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Angry investors in trust products of a leading Chinese shadow bank have lodged complaint letters with regulators, pleading with the authorities to step in after the big Chinese trust firm missed payments on dozens of investment products. "Every day, a large number of people gathered at business departments of Zhongrong Trust are praying for the firm can give an explanation to investors ... investors are immersed in unlimited horror and fear every day." In the letter to the NFRA , investors demanded that Zhongrong provide reports of the underlying assets of defaulted products. "We hope officials can attach great attention to Zhongrong Trust ... and not let this to become a milestone vicious economic event," the letter sent to the NFRA said. In the letter to the CCDI, investors complained that management of Zhongrong failed to fulfill their responsibilities and caused huge losses to investors.

Persons: Aly, Zhongrong, didn't, NFRA, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Cogill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Trust Co, Investors, Financial Regulatory Administration, Central Commission, Reuters, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Zhongrong, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights BEIJING, Zhongrong

REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoHONG KONG/NEW YORK, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Chinese fears of a spillover from missed payments on some shadow banking linked trust products and worsening consumer sentiment are expected to hasten a policy response to revive the country's cash-starved property sector. Zhongrong International Trust Co, which traditionally had sizable real estate exposure, has recently missed repayments on some investment products, fuelling contagion fears. 'CONTAGION'The trust sector had been a major fundraising channel for property developers seeking rapid expansion. The outstanding value of trust products invested in the property sector was 1.2 trillion yuan as of end-2022, down about 30% year-on-year. Still, exposure to the real estate sector varies from different trust firms.

Persons: Aly, Yan Wang, Nomura, Arthur Kroeber, Kamil Dimmich, Phillip Wool, Wool, Vidya Ranganathan, Laura Matthews, David Randall, Ziyi Tang, Sumeet Chatterjee, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, HONG KONG, Trust Co, Barclays, International Trust, South Capital LLP, China Equity ETF, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG, Zhongrong, Beijing, New York, London, Singapore, Summer Zhen

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