4. Total banking industry assets exceed 100 trillion RMB, capital adequacy ratio drops

Total assets of Chinese financial institutions hit 101.2 trillion RMB at the end of March, up 18.9 percent year-on-year.

Total assets of Chinese financial institutions hit 101.2 trillion RMB at the end of March, up 18.9 percent year-on-year, according to data released by the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) last week. The industry's capital adequacy ratio, a measure of banks' financial strength, fell to 11.8 percent in the first quarter, down from 12.2 percent in the fourth quarter last year, the CBRC reported. The commission said the capital adequacy ratio of China's five biggest lenders now stands at 11.5 percent, just equal to the ratio the CBRC has instructed large Chinese banks to maintain.