The six major state-owned banks in China have all announced their intention to distribute final cash dividends for 2025, with the total payout exceeding 220 billion yuan.
On the evening of March 30, Agricultural Bank of China and Bank of China disclosed their annual reports for 2025. With these releases, the full-year performance reports for all six major state-owned banks are now public.
In 2025, the primary operational metrics of the big six state-owned banks remained robust and balanced, with stable and improving asset quality. All six institutions achieved a year-on-year increase in both operating revenue and net profit attributable to parent company shareholders. Their combined net profit reached 1.42 trillion yuan.
Regarding asset size, all six banks experienced steady growth. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) maintained its leading position, with total assets increasing by 9.50% from the end of 2024 to reach 534.8 trillion yuan by the end of 2025. The asset sizes of Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) and China Construction Bank (CCB) both exceeded 40 trillion yuan, reaching 48.78 trillion yuan and 45.63 trillion yuan, respectively. Bank of China (BOC) reported total assets of 38.36 trillion yuan. Postal Savings Bank of China (PSBC) and Bank of Communications (BoCom) saw their assets grow by 9.35% and 4.35% from the end of 2024, reaching 18.68 trillion yuan and 15.55 trillion yuan, respectively.
In terms of net profit attributable to parent company shareholders for 2025, ICBC remained the top performer, reporting a profit of 368.562 billion yuan, a 0.7% increase year-on-year. CCB followed closely, with its net profit rising 0.99% to 338.906 billion yuan. ABC recorded the largest percentage increase, with its net profit growing 3.20% to 291.041 billion yuan. BOC achieved a net profit of 243.021 billion yuan, up 2.18% from the end of 2024. BoCom's net profit increased 2.18% to 95.622 billion yuan, while PSBC reported a net profit of 87.404 billion yuan, a 1.07% rise year-on-year.
Regarding operating revenue, BOC saw the largest percentage increase last year, with revenue growing 4.48% to 658.310 billion yuan. The revenue growth rates for ICBC, ABC, and BoCom all exceeded 2% (inclusive) in 2025, increasing by 2.00%, 2.10%, and 2.02% to reach 838.270 billion yuan, 725.306 billion yuan, and 265.071 billion yuan, respectively. CCB and PSBC reported operating revenues of 761.049 billion yuan and 355.728 billion yuan for 2025, representing year-on-year growth of 1.88% and 1.99%, respectively.
If revenue growth determines how fast a bank can run, then asset quality determines how far it can go. While achieving steady profit growth for the full year of 2025, the big six state-owned banks maintained an even more stable and prudent development pace, with overall asset quality remaining fundamentally stable. The non-performing loan (NPL) ratios of five banks decreased by the end of 2025 compared to the end of 2024. Specifically, PSBC had the lowest NPL ratio at 0.95%. BOC's NPL ratio was 1.23%, down 0.02 percentage points from the end of 2024. The NPL ratios of ICBC, ABC, CCB, and BoCom all decreased by 0.03 percentage points from the end of 2024, standing at 1.31%, 1.27%, 1.31%, and 1.28%, respectively.
In terms of capital adequacy ratios, as of the end of 2025, BOC and PSBC saw increases compared to the end of 2024, reaching 18.85% and 14.52%, up by 0.09 percentage points and 0.08 percentage points, respectively. CCB's capital adequacy ratio remained unchanged from the end of 2024 at 19.69%. The ratios for ICBC, ABC, and BoCom declined slightly compared to the end of 2024 but were maintained at relatively high levels, with overall risks considered controllable.
Furthermore, all six major state-owned banks plan to distribute final cash dividends for 2025, with a combined total of approximately 222.766 billion yuan. The proposed dividends are as follows: ICBC, 60.197 billion yuan; CCB, 53.079 billion yuan; ABC, 45.498 billion yuan; BOC, 37.667 billion yuan; BoCom, 14.880 billion yuan; and PSBC, 11.445 billion yuan.
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