The third quarter reports of Chinese banks point to sustained recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
36 out of 37 listed A-share banks have issued their financial reports for the third quarter of 2020, with 19 of them posting declines in their non-performing loan (NPL) ratios compared to the second quarter, as compared to 11 that saw gains.
Ping An Bank saw the biggest decline in its NPL ratio, with a drop of 33 basis points compared to the end of the second quarter to 1.32%, while China CITIC Bank and China Minsheng posted the biggest NPL ratio rises.
25 A-share banks also saw rebounds in their profit growth rates compared to the second quarter, accounting for nearly 70% of the total.
Wu Wen (武雯), senior researcher with the Bank of Communications Financial Research Centre, said that the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic on China’s banking sector and macro-economy had gradually weakened, while the overall operating environment for the banking sector was now comparatively loose.
Profit growth for listed Chinese banks are expected to reach a turning point in future and shift from negative to positive, although growth rates will continue to remain low.
