China Banking Association Releases Top 10 Banking Industry Events of 2025

On March 17, the China Banking Association held a sharing and exchange meeting in Beijing to discuss the “Ten Major Events” and “Good News” for the banking industry in 2025. At the meeting, Xing Wei, Secretary of the Party Committee and full-time Vice President of the China Banking Association, announced the “Ten Major Events” for the banking industry in 2025. The specific contents are as follows:

1. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China approved the “Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development,” which proposed accelerating the building of a strong financial nation. “Financial Power” was included in the first five-year plan proposal for the first time, setting a clear path for high-quality development of the banking industry. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the banking industry will focus on the economic and social development goals, quickly shift perspectives, deepen specialization, and achieve digital transformation. Under strict regulation, the industry will solidly work on risk prevention and control, promote high-quality development, and strive to achieve new accomplishments in building a strong financial nation.

2. The revised draft of the “Banking Supervision Law of the People’s Republic of China” was reviewed and approved in principle at the State Council executive meeting in September, and was submitted to the 19th session of the 14th National People’s Congress Standing Committee in December for the first review. The legislative process for the industry has accelerated, with broader regulatory coverage, greater transparency, and more diverse measures. Financial regulatory authorities are actively implementing the principle of “regulation for the people,” revising and issuing various systems such as corporate governance, regulatory ratings, and suitability management, to improve governance, strengthen the protection of financial consumers’ rights, and strictly prevent and crack down on illegal financial activities, ensuring healthy development.

3. The General Office of the State Council issued the “Guiding Opinions on Doing a Good Job in the ‘Five Major Articles’ of Financial Development,” proposing a systematic policy framework and planning a blueprint for financial services to the real economy. The banking industry resolutely implements these guiding opinions, and significant progress has been made in supporting the development of the “Five Major Articles,” with continuous improvement in the accessibility of financing and the matching of financial products and services in key strategic, major fields, and weak links.

4. 2025 marks the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. During this period, the banking industry has maintained steady operation, achieved new breakthroughs in high-quality development, elevated services to the real economy to a new level, and opened a new chapter in financial regulation. By the end of 2025, the total assets of the banking industry will reach 480 trillion yuan, ranking first in the world; among the top 1,000 banks globally, 143 Chinese banks will be listed, with 6 of the top 10 positions held by Chinese banks, further consolidating China’s position as the largest credit market. The Ministry of Finance issued 500 billion yuan in special national bonds to support China Bank, China Construction Bank, Bank of Communications, and Postal Savings Bank to replenish capital.

5. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China has achieved significant results in preventing and resolving financial risks, firmly safeguarding against systemic financial risks. Risks in small and medium-sized financial institutions have been handled prudently, with a substantial reduction in the number and assets of high-risk institutions from peak levels. The coordination mechanism for urban real estate financing has been expanded and improved, actively supporting the restructuring and refinancing of financing platform operational debts.

6. The National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA) has implemented the spirit of the private enterprise symposium held on February 17,坚持“两个毫不动摇”，将助力民营经济高质量发展作为责无旁贷的重大课题和任务。NFRA and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) are leading efforts to deepen support for micro and small enterprise financing coordination mechanisms. Through central-local cooperation and departmental collaboration, strong support is provided for the financing needs of private and micro enterprises. Since the establishment of the micro and small enterprise financing coordination mechanism, banks have provided loans exceeding 30 trillion yuan to 13.55 million micro and small business entities, with credit loans accounting for 32.2%.

7. Develop new productive forces according to local conditions, accelerate the cultivation of new drivers of growth, promote the optimization and upgrading of the economic structure, advance rural revitalization, and promote sustained and healthy economic development and comprehensive social progress. The NFRA issued the “Notice on Further Expanding the Pilot Program for Equity Investment in Financial Asset Investment Companies,” optimizing and improving pilot policies; also issued the “Commercial Bank Merger and Acquisition Loan Management Measures” to support the construction of a modern industrial system and the development of new productive forces. The banking industry strengthens the coordination of credit, equity, bonds, and other tools, increasing targeted support for strategic emerging industries, technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, and major scientific and technological projects, activating innovation momentum through full lifecycle financial services.

8. A package of financial policies to stabilize the market and expectations has been released. Moderate easing monetary policy is implemented through tools such as reserve requirement ratio cuts and interest rate reductions to maintain reasonable liquidity and promote a decline in overall social financing costs. By December 2025, the interest rates for newly issued corporate loans and personal housing loans are both approximately 3.1%, down 2.5 and 2.7 percentage points respectively since the second half of 2018. The banking industry intensifies support for technological innovation, boosting consumption, small and micro enterprises, and stabilizing foreign trade, helping the real economy and consolidating the positive momentum of economic recovery.

9. The General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the “Special Action Plan to Boost Consumption,” calling for vigorous efforts to stimulate consumption and expand domestic demand comprehensively. Financial regulatory authorities have introduced policies to develop consumer finance and support consumption, strengthening coordination between financial and fiscal policies, implementing interest subsidies for personal consumer loans and loans for service industry operators. The banking industry enriches financial products, facilitates financial services, and creates a favorable consumption environment, effectively expanding domestic demand and enhancing people’s sense of gain and satisfaction. By the end of 2025, the balance of loans in key areas of service consumption nationwide will reach 2.8 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6%; the total household consumption loan balance (excluding personal housing loans) will be 21.2 trillion yuan.

10. Financial regulatory authorities have released multiple major measures to further open up the financial industry at a high level, steadily expand cross-border connectivity, and effectively support high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative. They will also support the development of Shanghai as an international financial center, the operation of Hainan Free Trade Port, and promote deeper and broader financial institutional opening-up.