More Chinese banks cut deposit rates as their margins shrink

BLOOMBERG

At least three nationwide Chinese banks lowered deposit rates, following a similar move by their smaller rivals in April as lenders battle shrinking margins.
Mid-sized national banks including China Zheshang Bank Co, Hengfeng Bank Co and China Bohai Bank Co said they lowered deposit rates as much as 30 basis points on some tenors. After the adjustment, these lenders will pay an annual 1.85% for one-year deposit, down from 1.95% and pay 2.95% on three-year and five-year deposits, down from 3.2% and 3.25%, respectively.
Chinese banks are under pressure to maintain the profitability as policy makers are ramping up efforts to boost growth in the world’s second-largest economy. Earnings are being weighed down by falling rates and a government push for state lenders to provide cheap loans to small businesses and home buyers.
“The banking sector is still under big pressure from narrowing net interest margins in 2023,” said Wang Yifeng, a banking analyst at Everbright Securities Co. “Since the market-oriented interest rate adjustment mechanism has recently started to assess their pricing of deposit rates, it has become necessary for banks to manage the cost of their
liabilities.”
Zheshang Bank’s spokesperson said in a response to Bloomberg’s query that the reduction in rates won’t affect the stability of the lenders’ deposits, adding that adjustments will continue based on market conditions and business operation.
The country’s benchmark one-year deposit rate for household savings is currently 1.5%. Smaller banks still pay well above their larger rivals and the benchmark after the latest adjustment.
China’s biggest lenders, including Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd, delivered meager profit growth in the first quarter of 2023 as they wrestled with shrinking margins and the lingering economic impact of China’s exit from Covid zero.