(From Reuters)
China’s banking regulator has sent an urgent notice to banks telling them to clear bottlenecks slowing lending to private firms, sources with direct knowledge told Reuters, highlighting rising concern in Beijing about torpid private investment.
Chinese banks sharply cut new lending in April after a record first-quarter credit spree, much of which appeared to go to the state sector and may have helped inflate asset bubbles in real estate and commodities.
According to the document seen by Reuters, the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) is requiring financial institutions to conduct checks on their implementation of central government directives intended to make it easier for private firms to access bank credit.
It also tells them to work to resolve any problems in cases where lending support to private enterprise is insufficient, including small and micro-businesses.
The document requires institutions to report their implementation results to the regulator by May 20. Read more