BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's inclusive loans to small and micro enterprises maintained steady growth in the second quarter, official data showed Friday.Outstanding inclusive loans to small and micro enterprises reached 38.9 trillion yuan (about 5.73 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of the second quarter, up 8 percent year on year, according to the National Financial Regulatory Administration.Outstanding inclusive loans related to agriculture stood at 15 trillion yuan, up 7.5 percent year on year.Friday's data also showed China's banking institutions held 498 trillion yuan in renminbi and foreign-currency assets, up 6.6 percent year on year, while the total assets of insurance companies and insurance asset management companies reached 43.9 trillion yuan, up 6.2 percent from the beginning of the year.Commercial banks maintained strong risk buffers, with their provision coverage ratio standing at 202.87 percent at the end of the second quarter. The capital adequacy ratio of commercial banks, excluding branches of foreign banks, stood at 15.26 percent.

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China will expand a cross-border cash pooling pilot scheme nationwide, allowing more multinational companies to centrally manage their cross-border renminbi and foreign-currency funds, according to a notice issued Friday.The notice, jointly released by the People's Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, said the new policy will take effect on Sept. 14.Under the program, multinational companies can pool the foreign debt and overseas lending quotas of their member companies, independently determine the proportion of funds to be centralized, and manage renminbi and foreign-currency funds through the same account.This will enable funds to be allocated at the group level while allowing member companies greater flexibility in their use, according to an official with the foreign exchange regulator.The program, called the centralized operation and management of cross-border RMB and foreign currency funds, was launched on a pilot basis in Beijing and Guangdong Province in 2023. By the end of June 2026, more than 260 multinational companies had registered for the program, benefiting over 5,500 member companies at home and abroad.The notice further streamlines registration procedures by introducing a single-window mechanism at local branches of the foreign exchange regulator, while allowing cooperating banks to handle certain registration changes.It also specifies operational rules and requirements for ongoing and ex-post supervision to guard against risks associated with cross-border capital flows.In recent years, China has developed two versions of cross-border cash management programs for multinational companies. The integrated RMB and foreign currency cash pooling program mainly serves large multinationals, with higher entry thresholds but greater flexibility and higher transfer ceilings.The centralized operation and management of cross-border RMB and foreign currency funds targets a broader range of multinationals, fea...

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's yuan-denominated loans rose by 10.38 trillion yuan (about 1.53 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of 2026, central bank data showed Friday.Outstanding yuan loans stood at 282.29 trillion yuan at the end of July, up 5.1 percent year on year, according to the People's Bank of China.M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased by 7.7 percent year on year to 355.51 trillion yuan by the end of last month.M1, which covers currency in circulation, corporate demand deposits, personal demand deposits and provisions received by non-bank payment institutions, reached 115.46 trillion yuan at the end of July, up 4 percent from a year earlier.China's outstanding aggregate financing to the real economy stood at 463.27 trillion yuan at the end of July, up 7.4 percent year on year, according to the central bank.Outstanding aggregate financing to the real economy, M2 and other broad financial aggregates have all maintained reasonable growth, with their year-on-year growth rates continuing to exceed nominal GDP growth. This indicates that overall financing conditions remain relatively accommodative, said Tian Xuan, dean of Peking University's Guanghua School of Management.China's credit structure has also improved. At the end of June, loans to technology, green development, inclusive finance, elderly care and the digital economy all posted year-on-year growth rates higher than that of overall loans.Going forward, monetary and credit policies should play a stronger guiding role in channeling funds to the real economy, said Dong Qingma, deputy head of the Institute of Chinese Financial Studies at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.Alongside targeted credit support, overall financing costs have continued to decline. China's loan interest rates have stayed at low levels since the start of this year, and that trend persisted into July.Interest rates are price signals refle...

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's yuan-denominated loans rose by 10.38 trillion yuan (about 1.53 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of 2026, central bank data showed on Friday.At the end of July, outstanding yuan loans stood at 282.29 trillion yuan, up 5.1 percent year on year, according to the People's Bank of China.The M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, had increased by 7.7 percent year on year to 355.51 trillion yuan by the end of last month.The M1, which covers cash in circulation, demand deposits and client reserves of non-bank payment institutions, reached 115.46 trillion yuan at the end of July, up 4 percent from a year ago.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index market ended lower Friday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index down 1.1 percent to close at 25,116.85 points.

Hong Kong's Exchange Fund saw its foreign assets rise to 3,694.5 billion HK dollars (about 470.8 billion U.S. dollars) in July, according to key analytical accounts released by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Friday.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 1.12 percent to close at 3,626.3 points Friday.

Chinese stocks closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.01 percent to 3,927.18 points.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 236.26 points, or 0.93 percent, to close Friday's morning session at 25,160.25.

The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, opened 1.03 percent higher at 2,025.13 points on Friday.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, was up 0.67 percent to open at 3,610.19 points Friday.

Chinese stocks opened higher on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.08 percent to open at 3,930.02 points.