Recently, with the guidance and support of the Tianjin Branch of the People's Bank of China, the Tianjin Branch of CBHB (09668) has officially launched its Free Trade Account (FT Account) system. This makes CBHB the first local corporate bank in Tianjin to complete the implementation of an FT Account system. This milestone signifies a crucial step for CBHB in enhancing financial services for free trade zones and deeply integrating into the financial reform and innovation of the Tianjin Free Trade Zone. It will provide regional enterprises engaged in cross-border operations with efficient and convenient integrated financial services for both domestic and foreign currencies.
Tianjin is currently the only region in northern China piloting the FT Account system. As a significant financial institutional innovation within free trade pilot zones, the Free Trade Account serves as key infrastructure for advancing high-level financial openness and facilitating trade and investment services. The launch of CBHB's FT Account system at its Tianjin Branch is a strong response to the strategic deployment of deepening reforms and expanding openness in the Tianjin Free Trade Zone.
Following the operational launch of CBHB's FT head office-branch model in January 2026, the bank's headquarters and branches coordinated efficiently and prepared meticulously. They completed various preparatory tasks, including system design, platform construction, and business rehearsals, and steadily promoted the implementation of the FT Account system under the guidance of the Tianjin Branch of the People's Bank of China.
After opening an FT Account, enterprises can benefit from integrated management of domestic and foreign currencies. Funds can be freely transferred between FT Accounts and overseas accounts, and the conversion process directly applies the offshore Renminbi (CNH) exchange rate, effectively reducing conversion costs and operational expenses. This enables enterprises to more strategically utilize both offshore and onshore markets and resources, optimizing capital allocation on a global scale.
Leveraging the FT Account system, CBHB has simultaneously introduced its "Cross-Border Free Trade Connect" product suite. This provides enterprises with integrated cross-border financial services covering deposits, loans, remittances, exchanges, and bonds. Deeply integrated with FT Account functionalities, this product suite covers multiple scenarios including cross-border settlement, exchange rate hedging, trade finance, and free trade bonds. Coupled with online settlement capabilities, it effectively lowers enterprise operational costs and enhances cross-border fund management efficiency.
It is noteworthy that CBHB has long had a forward-looking presence in cross-border financial infrastructure. As the first corporate bank in Tianjin to obtain direct participant status in the Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), CBHB is fully promoting the innovative integration of the FT Account system with CIPS. The CIPS direct participation channel offers significant advantages of "short paths, high efficiency, and low costs." Enterprises can utilize this to experience efficient, transparent, and traceable payment processing, effectively reducing intermediary fees and substantially improving cross-border settlement efficiency. The conveniences offered by FT Accounts synergize powerfully with the efficient clearing of the CIPS direct channel, providing enterprises with new financial momentum for expanding into international markets.
As a national joint-stock commercial bank headquartered in Tianjin, CBHB will continue to fully leverage its locational advantages of short decision-making chains and fast response times. It will closely focus on Tianjin's 12 key industrial chains, precisely serving the cross-border financial needs of leading enterprises in critical sectors such as new-generation information technology, high-end equipment, and biomedicine. The bank aims to nourish the development of new quality productive forces with the vitality of finance.
Taking the launch of the FT Account system as a new starting point, CBHB will firmly seize the opportunities presented by Tianjin Free Trade Zone's institutional openness. It will continue to deepen its cross-border financial service capabilities, injecting more of CBHB's strength into the high-quality economic development of Tianjin.
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