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☆ China's central bank gets a new party secretary
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Pan Gongsheng was named party secretary of the People's Bank of China on July 1, 2023. BEIJING — The People's Bank of China announced Saturday that Pan Gongsheng, head of the country's foreign exchange regulator, would become the central bank's party secretary. In a country ruled by the Communist Party of China, the party secretary of an institution typically holds the most sway. That institution was absorbed into the National Financial Regulatory Administration in a financial regulatory overhaul announced in March and is set to take effect this year. The administration's party secretary and director is Li Yunze, a rare minister-level appointee of the younger 1970s generation.

Persons: Pan Gongsheng, Gongsheng, Xi Jinping, Guo Shuqing, Li Yunze Organizations: People's Bank of China, Communist Party of China, China Banking, Insurance, Commission, National Financial Regulatory Administration Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China

☆ China names head of NFRA as financial industry faces greater scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has appointed the head of its powerful new financial watchdog, which was created as part of sweeping reforms aimed at reining in the $60 trillion industry. Currently, several provincial leaders had previous careers in the financial industry, including Wu Qing, vice mayor of Shanghai and formerly the chairman of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. China’s sprawling financial industry is coming under closer scrutiny as Xi and his key allies have asserted greater direct control over financial policy. For years, Xi has said the financial industry should better serve the real economy, including making money available to businesses that need it. To further consolidate control, according to analysts, the top anti-graft body has carried out a sweeping anti-corruption campaign in the financial industry, which has ensnared more than a dozen senior executives from state-owned financial institutions.

☆ China regulator to help lower financing costs of small businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, April 27 (Reuters) - China's banking and insurance regulator said it would enhance credit support and lower the actual financing costs of small and micro enterprises this year to better support economic recovery. In a statement on Thursday, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) said financial institutions should provide reasonable credits to small businesses, while preventing the risk of "over-lending". Financial institutions should price lending rates reasonably based on the benchmark loan prime rate and the characteristics of small and micro businesses, it said. The CBIRC added that it would optimise the credit structure for small businesses and meet reasonable financing needs of small businesses with a credit line above 10 million yuan ($1.44 million). The regulator also said financial institutions should not renew loans for non-business and production purposes, and thatfinancial institutions should not cover up credit risks with loan renewals.

☆ China regulators plan new bond market rules, will coordinate more after turmoil, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"After the chaos, coordination between bodies will be strengthened," one of the regulatory sources said. Turnover in the market — the world's second-largest bond market with $21 trillion in notes outstanding — slid and traders said they had to scramble to chat groups for quotes. In contrast to the pre-ban market, Tullet Prebon's data is now available on all other bond market information platforms including Wind, Dealing Matrix and government-affiliated iDeal. China's interbank bond market operator also said on March 20 that iDeal now offers price data from six interdealer brokers. The strength of the market's reaction to the data ban had surprised authorities, according to one of the regulatory sources.

☆ China to boost regulatory oversight of digital economy -c.bank deputy governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOAO, China, March 31 (Reuters) - China will beef up its regulatory oversight of the digital economy, as new technologies, especially new forms of finance, should not be blindly accepted and recognised, a deputy governor of China's central bank said on Friday. Digital currencies and newly invented cryptocurrencies, rather than solving problems in finance, can in fact create new challenges, Xuan Changneng, a deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, said at the annual Boao Forum in Hainan province. He did not spell out steps that will be taken to boost oversight. China itself has launched its own digital renminbi, or yuan, but it is little used. The National Financial Regulatory Administration will absorb the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission's responsibilities and take over some supervisory functions from the central bank and the securities regulator.

☆ Alibaba's revamp puts renewed focus on Ant Group's suspended IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"I truly believe [Alibaba is] aiming for a bigger target," said Kingston Securities Executive Director Dickie Wong. "In terms of the bigger picture, obviously would be Ant Group [being] re-introduced into the equity market," he told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Wednesday. HANGZHOU, CHINA - OCTOBER 27: A logo of Ant Group is seen at the company's headquarters on October 27, 2020 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. To be clear, there was no mention of Ant in Alibaba's announcement for its overhaul overnight. KraneShares' CIO Brendan Ahern said investors it's likely investors will be focusing Ant's IPO.

☆ Beijing may allow foreign financial firms to list in China - ex-finance minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, March 18 (Reuters) - China will encourage foreign capital to participate in its financial markets and may allow foreign-funded financial institutions to go public in the country when "conditions are ripe", local media quoted a former finance minister as saying on Saturday. China has been stepping up efforts to woo foreign companies and investors to aid an economic recovery after the dismantling of its zero-COVID policy late last year. It has sped up fund license approvals for foreign asset managers in recent months. Lou also commented on the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, saying Chinese authorities attached great importance to preventing and resolving systemic risks and were trying to improve financial supervision with the creation of a new financial regulatory body. "We will also continue to cooperate with the financial regulatory agencies of other countries to jointly prevent and resolve systemic risks in the global financial system and maintain the stability and prosperity of the global financial market," he added, according to the newspaper.

☆ China revives ruling party control of financial oversight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Greg Baker | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — The ruling Communist Party of China is establishing commissions to oversee finance and tech, state media announced Thursday. A new "Central Financial Commission" is set to strengthen the party's "centralized and unified leadership over financial work," state media said Thursday in Chinese, according to a CNBC translation. watch nowWhile state media did not specify, a financial work commission of the same name had been set up in the aftermath of the 1998 Asian financial crisis. Responsibilities of that party commission are borne by the restructured Ministry of Science and Technology. The State Council changes established a National Financial Regulatory Administration to oversee most of the financial industry — except for the securities industry.

As debt obligations mount, some local governments are pushing banks to extend maturities and cut interest rates, sources said. Reuters Graphics"BLACK HOLES""The LGFVs have become the black hole of the Chinese financial system. Chinese banks and other financial institutions have been cautious on new lending to LGFVs over the past years. In recent months, some state-owned banks, asset managers, and insurers have been looking into their portfolios to screen LGFV borrowers with weaker creditworthiness and dispose them, separate financial sector sources told Reuters. Offshore branches of Chinese financial institutions have been major buyers of the bonds, industry sources said.

☆ In praise of American finance’s regulatory mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( John Foley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - There are many issues on which China and the United States are far apart. The People’s Republic this week proposed combining financial regulatory functions into a new super watchdog to govern its financial sector more effectively. China’s proposed new National Financial Regulatory Administration is roughly in this mold. Since 2008, officials in Beijing have criticized the United States’ financial excesses and its “warped conception” of financial discipline. The new National Financial Regulatory Administration would sit directly under the State Council, which serves as China’s cabinet.

☆ China's State Council shakeup aims to counter rising US tech restrictions and financial risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“These proposed institutional changes reflect key focus areas of Chinese policymakers in the next few years, namely improving financial regulation coordination to enhance financial stability,” Goldman Sachs analysts said on Wednesday. Among the changes announced Tuesday during the annual gathering of the National People’s Congress, Beijing will set up a new powerful financial regulator: the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA). VCG/Getty ImagesA super regulatorChina’s financial system has traditionally been jointly overseen by the People’s Bank of China, the CBIRC and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). The new regulator is meant to “better manage risks” in the financial system and strengthen the supervision of “institutions, behaviors, and functions,” the government proposal said. The move comes as risks to the stability of China’s financial system are rising amid a housing market slump and economic slowdown.

☆ China plans to revamp finance, tech oversight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China plans to overhaul its financial regulatory system by consolidating aspects of the central bank and securities regulator under a new entity, while doing away with the existing banking regulator. The moves also come as Beijing has increased regulation on parts of the economy that had developed quickly, with little oversight. The latest plan calls for the establishment of a National Financial Regulatory Administration, which replaces the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and expands its role. watch nowThe China Securities Regulatory Commission's investor protection responsibilities are set to shift to the new financial regulator. "China's consolidated financial regulatory body is [a] paradigm shift to ramp up oversight of its vast financial system," said Winston Ma, adjunct professor of law at New York University.

☆ China to set up new financial regulator in sweeping reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The new financial regulator will replace the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) and bring supervision of the industry, excluding the securities sector, into a body directly under the State Council, or cabinet. The proposal for setting up the new regulator, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, was presented to China's parliament during its annual meeting on Tuesday. China's financial sector is overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the CBIRC, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee having overall responsibility. The setting up of the new financial regulatory body comes as Beijing seeks to rein in large corporate and financial institutions that may bring systemic risks via regulatory arbitrage among multiple authorities. 'STRENGTHEN SUPERVISION'The new administration will "strengthen institutional supervision, supervision of behaviours and supervision of functions", according to the plan.

☆ China to set up new financial regulator in major supervisory overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - China will set up a national financial regulatory administration, according to a plan announced on Tuesday, in the biggest overhaul of the country's financial supervisory apparatus in years. China's financial sector is currently overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the CBIRC, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee having overall purview. The new administration will "strengthen institutional supervision, supervision of behaviours and supervision of functions," according to the plan, with all kinds of financial activities to be supervised according to the law. The overall reform plan will be "targeted, intensive and wide-ranging, touching on deep-rooted interests", Xi told the party's Central Committee. Reporting by Ryan Woo and Ziyi Tang; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Meet the 4 men tipped to run China’s economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —The team of Communist Party officials running China’s economy is about to get a major makeover. They include the four men tipped to manage the world’s second biggest economy: Li Qiang as premier, Ding Xuexiang as executive vice premier, He Lifeng as vice premier and Zhu Hexin as the new central bank chief. That puts the 63-year-old in line to succeed Premier Li Keqiang when he steps down during the upcoming congress. Li would be the first premier since the Mao era not to have previously worked at the State Council, China’s cabinet, as vice premier, analysts say. Stringer/ICHPL Imaginechina/AP/FileThe 68-year-old would succeed Vice Premier Liu He, who led China’s negotiations with the United States during trade talks in 2018 and 2019.

☆ Xi's planned revival of Chinese financial watchdog exerts more party control
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Joe Cash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, March 1 (Reuters) - Plans by China's Communist Party to revive a high-level economic watchdog after two decades signal President Xi Jinping push to increase oversight of the financial sector, analysts say, part of a wider tightening of control by Xi and the party. "Through the CFWC, Xi and his allies could more rapidly roll out a reshuffle to replace the remaining legacy technocrats with people more loyal to them," he said. China's financial sector is overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee at the top. Under the new proposed structure, the party would take on a direction-setting role for the economy and regulatory bodies. "But this could also lead to policies replacing some market forces, which may not be ideal for financial liberalisation", she said.

Analysts estimate that nearly $700 billion of mortgages – close to one-eighth China's outstanding total – have been prepaid since early last year, when banks started to lower borrowing rates. This threatens banks' profits on mortgages, which accounted for about 30% of outstanding loans at China's five biggest banks as of last June, according to their latest financial reports. The current disinterest in new home purchases contrasts sharply with the overheated property market of prior years, when authorities kept mortgage rates high to cool speculation. Towards the middle of last year, however, regulators began lowering benchmark mortgage rates to prop up property demand, after a liquidity crisis among developers sent home prices and sales into a downward spiral. "I decided to do so because I'm burdened with a mortgage rate that's too high," Wang said.

☆ China refines capital and risk management of commercial banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

China's banking regulator and the central bank plan to adopt a more differentiated regulatory system for assessing commercial banks' capital adequacy and risk management, in a step to better prevent risks in the country's financial system. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the People's Bank of China on Saturday jointly released amended draft rules that they said aimed to help banks "continuously improve the precision of risk measurement and guide banks to better serve the real economy." The draft rules, which bring the banking sector closer to global standards, will divide lenders into three groups based on business scale and risk level.

☆ China’s property crash is prompting banks to offer mortgages to 70-year-olds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Some banks in the cities of Nanning, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Beijing have extended the upper age limit on mortgages to between 80 and 95, according to a number of state media reports. China’s property market is in the midst of a historic downturn. The mortgage borrower’s age plus mortgage length should not usually exceed 70 years, according to previous rules published by the banking regulator. Separately, a branch of Citic Bank has extended the upper age limit on its mortgages to 80, the paper said, citing a bank client manager. Other than Beijing, some banks in Nanning, the provincial capital of Guangxi province, have raised the upper age limit on mortgages to 80, according to the city’s official newspaper Nanguo Zaobao.

☆ China tightens requirements on classifying banks' asset risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Feb 11 (Reuters) - China on Saturday tightened risk management requirements on banks, requiring them to classify financial-asset risks in a timely and prudent manner, in a bid to better assess lenders' credit risks. The rules will help "commercial banks evaluate credit risks more accurately and reflect the true quality of their financial assets," said the People’s Bank of China and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC). The new rules, it said, will help prevent credit risks more effectively, the regulator said. Saturday's rules urge banks to scrutinise the underlying assets when they classify risks for asset management or securitisation products. Lenders will also be required to strictly abide by the rules when assessing credit risks in debt restructurings.

☆ China's EV giant BYD in talks to acquire insurer Yi'an
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The BYD Atto 3 EV car is displayed at the 39 Thailand International Motor Expo, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/FilesSHANGHAI, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD said on Tuesday it is working on a potential acquisition of Yi'an P&C Insurance Co, an insurer that was seized by Chinese regulators two years ago as part of a crackdown on financial conglomerates. Chinese business publication Caixin reported earlier this month, citing unnamed sources, that BYD would fully take over the insurer and would use it to start an insurance business targeting electric vehicles. Yi'an P&C Insurance was among nine firms Chinese regulators seized from the Tomorrow Holdings conglomerate in July 2020. China banking and insurance regulator said last year it had agreed to allow Yi'an P&C Insurance to enter bankruptcy and reorganisation procedures.

☆ Beijing Signals Two-Year Internet Crackdown May Be Coming to an End
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Weilun Soon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—A top Chinese official said authorities have wrapped up investigations into the financial businesses of several internet companies, another strong signal that a two-year regulatory crackdown on China’s homegrown technology giants may be winding down. Guo Shuqing , chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, told state media that the government had concluded a campaign to “rectify the financial businesses of 14 platform companies,” with only minor problems left to be resolved. Mr. Guo, also the party secretary of the People’s Bank of China, added in the interview published Saturday that officials would look to provide more support to tech companies and work toward making supervision of the tech sector more predictable going forward.

☆ China c.bank to support private firms, ease tech crackdown - CCTV
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Monetary policy in 2023 will focus on expanding demand, especially personal consumption, Guo told state-owned CCTV on Sunday, reaffirming earlier official remarks. Chinese leaders have pledged to increase support for the world's second-largest economy, which was hit hard by COVID-19 lockdowns last year as well as slowing global demand. "Prudent monetary policy will be precise and forceful. China will also promote sound development of online platform companies, Guo said , adding rectification of financial businesses of 14 platform companies have been "basically completed" while a few remaining issues need to be resolved. Authorities will adopt "normalized regulation" afterwards and encourage platform companies to operate in a compliant manner, CCTV said.

☆ China's crackdown on Ant and other tech giants is 'basically' over, top official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s heavy-handed crackdown on tech giants is coming to an end and the country’s economic growth is expected to be back on track soon, according to a top central bank official. “Next, we’ll promote healthy development of internet platforms,” said Guo, who is also chairman of China’s Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. Mark Schiefelbein/APChina’s crackdown on its biggest tech companies began in 2020 with new regulations on fintech, which forced Ma’s Ant Group to suspend its $37 billion IPO days before its launch. Regulators then targeted the online financial service units of 13 other tech giants, including Tencent, Baidu, JD.com, Bytedance, Meituan, and Didi. Ant Group’s restructuringMajor tech companies in China have struggled under a sweeping regulatory crackdown for months now.

CNN —Chinese billionaire Jack Ma will no longer control Ant Group after the fintech giant’s shareholders agreed to reshape its shareholding structure, according to a statement released by the company on Saturday. After the adjustment, Ma’s voting rights will fall to 6.2%, according to the statement and CNN calculations. Before the restructure, Ma held 50.52% of voting rights at Ant via Hangzhou Yunbo and two other entities, according to its IPO prospectus filed with stock exchanges in 2020. As part of the company’s restructuring, Ant applied for an expansion of its registered capital from $1.2 billion to $2.7 billion. Ant Group is a fintech affiliate of Alibaba, both of which were founded by Ma.

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