More than half of the assets in China's banking system are accounted for by four huge state-owned commercial banks. This paper examines the changing factors influencing these banks' lending behavior over the post-1994 period on a province-by-province basis. Determinants include the concentration...

The 2009 surge in bank lending in China was accompanied by allegations of substantial funds being funneled into the nation's stock and property markets. This paper uses 2004-2010 People's Bank survey data to examine the possible linkages between banking activity and the stock market as well as...

Financial liberalization in China has begun to allow more flexibility in bank interest rate setting but may threaten bank profit margins. This paper documents the initial response to the June 2012 initiative that, for the first time, allowed Chinese banks to meaningfully depart from the...

With a non-performing loan ratio of over 20% in 2007, and a concentration in China's poorer areas, the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) seemed an unlikely candidate for a successful initial public offering. The major capital injection the bank received in November 2008 was preceded by signs of a...