Por Klaus Koehler

Cuando el banco industrial y comercial de la China (ICBC) se abrió para negociar público a finales de bolsa de acción de octubre, el banco levantó un total de los USD 19.1 mil millones al comienzo con, alcanzando el ofrecimiento público inicial más grande siempre. ICBC ahora es el banco mencionado superior en Asia y el quinto más grande del mundo.

A pesar de el entusiasmo creado por el listado de ICBC, y el hecho de que los consejeros internacionales tales como Morgan Stanley están planeando agregar ICBC a su índice estándar pronto, algunos analistas todavía se refieren sobre los fundamentos y los fundamentales de la banca de China. Sobre un período largo, los préstamos fueron aprobados por razones político motivadas más bien que decisiones económicas, y en varias ocasiones, los bancos tuvieron que “ser afianzados previamente hacia fuera” por el gobierno.

Historia de la banca en China

En los años de la nacionalización de la república popular, la consolidación de los bancos del país recibió la prioridad más alta. Por lo tanto la banca era el primer sector que se socializará. Para mantener un control firme sobre todos los servicios financieros, incluyendo fuente del crédito y de dinero, el sistema de actividades bancarias fue centralizado bajo ministerio de las finanzas.

En los a mediados de los años ochenta, el nivel del servicio bancario en China no estaba en el mismo nivel que en otros países. Solamente algunos personas utilizaron los cuentas de ahorros y las tarjetas de crédito, y la cooperación entre los bancos no existió. En 1986 los primeros pasos fueron hechos para cambiar esto. Una red que pedía prestada y de préstamos inter-bank fue creada tan bien como una red financiera interregional. In June 1986 the first credit card the “Great Wall” was introduced. It was used for foreign exchange transactions. Another financial innovation in 1986 was the re-opening of China’s stock exchange since 1949.

Since 1987 the Chinese banking system includes the following major banks:
People’s Bank of China, Agricultural Bank, Bank of China, China Investment Bank, China Industrial and Commercial Bank, People’s Construction Bank, Communications Bank, People’s Insurance Company of China, Rural Credit Cooperatives and Urban Credit Cooperatives.

The People’s Bank of China (PBC or PBOC) was the foundation of the banking system and once was the “Central Bank of China”. Today the so called “Big Four” are the Agriculture Bank (ABC), the Bank of China (BOC), China Industrial and Commercial Bank (ICBC) and Peoples Construction Bank or China Constructions Bank (CCB) as it is called today. Together they still hold 55% of the Chinese credit volume.

The People’s Bank of China (PBC) overlapped in function with the Ministry of Finance. After it lost many of its responsibilities, it was restored in the 1970s to its leading position. As the central bank the PBC had sole responsibility for issuing currency, controlling the money supply, served as the government treasury, the main source of credit for economic units, the clearing center for financial transactions, the holder of enterprise deposits, the national savings bank and a ubiquitous monitor of economic activities. Today the PBC is responsible for the implementation of monetary policy for safeguarding the overall financial stability and provision of financial services.

The Agriculture Bank (ABC) was created in the 1950s to faciliate financial operations in the rural areas. It provided financial support to agricultural units, issued loans, handled state appropriations for agriculture, directed the operations of the rural credit cooperatives and carried out overall supervision of rural financial affairs.

The Bank of China (BOC) handled all dealings in foreign exchange. The BOC was responsible for allocating the country’s foreign exchange reserves, setting exchange rates for China’s currency, issuing letters of credit, arranging foreign loans, and generally carrying out all financial transactions with foreign firms and individuals.

The China Industrial and Commercial Bank (ICBC) is the youngest one of the “Big Four”. It was founded in 1984 and issued the primary bank card in 1989. It was the first Chinese bank to establish a branch outside China in 1992, and to open a branch in Europe in 1995. With the ICBC, China made the first step to a representation in the international banking arena.

The China Constructions Bank (CCB) checked the activities of loan recipients and ensured that the funds were used for their designated construction purpose. In general, the bank managed state appropriations and loans for capital construction.

In October 2005 the China Construction Bank listed successfully on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. With a USD 9.2 billion IPO (Initial Public Offering) it was the biggest entry in the history of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In May 2006, the Bank of China followed with an even bigger success and as mentioned before this was topped again by ICBC in October of this year when it entered the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock market with an IPO record of USD 19.1 billion.

Reforms Before the WTO Entry

When China was preparing for entering the World Trade Organization (WTO), China’s banking system was not on an internationally appropriate level. In order to be more competitive with other countries, and to fulfill the WTO requirements, the structure of the banking organization was modified over the course of time repeatedly, to suit changing conditions and new polices.

Before joining the WTO in 2001, the reforms of China’s financial system could be divided into 5 phases:

In the first phase from 1979 to 1981, China opened the finance market for banks with overseas capital. In 1979 China allowed 31 foreign financial institutions to open a Representative Office in China and in 1981 foreign financial institutions were allowed to set up their commercial subsidiaries only in the special economic zones.

In the second phase from 1981 to 1989 the constitutional administration of the foreign financial institution was created step by step. From 1983 to 1985 China published the People’s Bank of China’s determination about the administration of the constant substitution of foreign representations and foreign Chinese financial institutions in China. In addition the determination about the administration of banks with foreign capital and Joint Ventures with an interest of foreign Chinese capital in the special economic zones was also announced. This was an official sign for the opening of the Chinese banking business.

In the third phase from 1990 - 1993 foreigners were allowed to settle down in the Lujiazui area in Pudong, Shanghai, in order to establish a new financial center. Because of the development of the Pudong New Zone in August 1990, Shanghai, as an outward costal city, was allowed to admit foreign commercial financial institutions and in 1992 the cities Ningbo, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Dalian, Tianjin and Qingdao followed. At the same time, China allowed an American insurance company (AIG) to establish in China in order to demonstrate considerations of opening the Chinese insurance market to foreigners.

In the forth phase from 1994 to 1996 China opened non-costal cities for foreign banks and set up supra-regional financial institutions. The implementation of the regulation over the administration of foreign financial institution on the 1st of April in 1994 marked the standardization of the administration for these institutions. In August 1994 the Chinese state council allowed 11 additional cities including Beijing to set up commercial financial institution with foreign capital. At this point, China was negotiating to join the GATT (General Agreement of Tariff and Trade, predecessor to the WTO) and they needed to speed up the opening of the banking market for foreign companies.

In the fifth and last phase before joining the WTO China opened the renminbi business for banks with foreign capital. In December 1996 the People’s Bank of China announced that foreign financial institutions, which can provide the right conditions, are allowed to do local currency business in Lujiazui Pudong New Zone. In August 1998 five banks with foreign capital received permission from the Chinese state council to do local currency business in the special economical zone of Shenzhen. In July 1999 the People’s Bank of China expanded the local currency business to the foreign banks in Shanghai und Shenzhen.

Next week part II on China’s Banking Industry

Klaus Koehler, Managing Director, Klako Group