In the first three quarters of 2025, among 17 listed city commercial banks, 11 reported year-on-year growth in net profit attributable to shareholders exceeding 5%, with four surpassing 10%. Bank of Qingdao led with the highest growth rate. By the end of Q3 2025, nine city commercial banks had total assets exceeding RMB 1 trillion.
As representatives of banking sector growth, 16 out of 17 listed city commercial banks achieved positive growth in net profit attributable to shareholders during this period. Among them, 11 recorded growth above 5%, while four exceeded 10%, with Bank of Qingdao topping the list at 15.54%.
Revenue-wise, 14 out of 17 city commercial banks saw positive growth, with six posting increases above 5%. Bank of Xi'an led with a 39.11% surge, primarily driven by higher interest income. Its net interest income rose 61.60% year-on-year due to increased credit asset deployment and lower deposit interest rates. The net interest margin stood at 1.79%, up 0.43 percentage points year-on-year.
In absolute revenue terms, Bank of Jiangsu, Bank of Ningbo, Bank of Beijing, Bank of Nanjing, and Bank of Shanghai remained the top five, generating revenues of RMB 67.183 billion, RMB 54.976 billion, RMB 51.588 billion, RMB 41.949 billion, and RMB 41.140 billion, respectively. Notably, Bank of Ningbo's revenue surpassed Bank of Beijing's during this period, while Bank of Nanjing overtook Bank of Shanghai to rank fourth.
Regarding net profit attributable to shareholders, 16 banks saw growth, while only Bank of Guiyang experienced a 1.39% decline. Four banks—Bank of Qingdao, Qilu Bank, Bank of Hangzhou, and Bank of Chongqing—achieved growth rates exceeding 10%, with Bank of Qingdao leading at 15.54%.
In absolute net profit terms, Bank of Jiangsu, Bank of Ningbo, Bank of Beijing, Bank of Shanghai, and Bank of Nanjing ranked top five. Bank of Ningbo also surpassed Bank of Beijing in this metric, though Bank of Shanghai maintained a higher position than Bank of Nanjing despite the latter's revenue lead.
Net interest margins were highest at Bank of Zhengzhou (2.37%), Bank of Changsha (1.83%), Bank of Xi'an (1.79%), Bank of Ningbo (1.76%), and Bank of Jiangsu (1.74%). Conversely, Bank of Beijing (1.28%), Bank of Shanghai (1.16%), and Bank of Xiamen (1.08%) ranked lowest. Most banks saw margin compression year-on-year, except Bank of Zhengzhou, Bank of Xi'an, Qilu Bank, and Bank of Chongqing.
Loan growth exceeded 10% at 11 banks, with four—Bank of Xi'an, Bank of Chongqing, Bank of Jiangsu, and Bank of Ningbo—posting increases above 15%. Bank of Shanghai's loan growth remained in single digits, lagging behind its economic standing.
Deposit growth surpassed 10% at nine banks, led by Bank of Jiangsu (20.22%), Bank of Chongqing (16.90%), Bank of Zhengzhou (13.59%), and Bank of Suzhou (13.08%). Bank of Changsha's deposit growth slowed significantly, now ranking last among peers.
Total assets grew over 10% at 10 banks, with three—Bank of Jiangsu (24.68%), Bank of Chongqing (19.39%), and Bank of Beijing (15.95%)—exceeding 15%. Nine banks surpassed RMB 1 trillion in assets, including Bank of Jiangsu and Bank of Beijing (over RMB 4 trillion), Bank of Ningbo and Bank of Shanghai (over RMB 3 trillion), and Bank of Nanjing and Bank of Hangzhou (over RMB 2 trillion).
Asset quality remained robust, with seven banks reporting non-performing loan (NPL) ratios below 1%. Bank of Chengdu had the lowest NPL ratio at 0.68%, while Bank of Lanzhou's was highest at 1.80% (still below 2% industry-wide). Provision coverage ratios exceeded 300% at nine banks, led by Bank of Hangzhou (513.64%).
Core tier-1 capital adequacy ratios surpassed 9% at eight banks, with four—Bank of Guiyang (12.82%), Qilu Bank (11.49%), Bank of Shanghai (10.52%), and Bank of Changsha (10.24%)—exceeding 10%.
Dividend yields stood out, with 12 banks offering rolling yields above 3% as of November 10 closing. Nine banks exceeded 4%, led by Bank of Changsha at 6.17%, significantly outpacing five-year bank deposit rates.
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