Net interest margin stabilized and rebounded; Bank of China's assets exceeded 40 trillion yuan in the first half of the year.

Amid widespread pressure on net interest margins across the banking sector, Bank of China 's interim results for 2026 demonstrated a degree of resilience.

In the first half of this year, Bank of China Group achieved operating revenue of RMB 357.1 billion, up 8.41% year-on-year ; after-tax profit of RMB 132 billion, and after-tax profit attributable to shareholders of the Bank of China of RMB 123.6 billion, up 4.67% and 5.10% year-on-year, respectively .

In terms of cost control, its cost-to-income ratio dropped to 23.43% , a year-on-year decrease of 1.68 percentage points.

It is worth noting that, amidst overall pressure on net interest margins across the industry, Bank of China's net interest margin for the first half of the year was 1.27% , an increase of 1 basis point ( BP ) compared to the same period last year .

During the same period, the Group’s net interest income reached RMB 236.733 billion, an increase of 10.20% year-on-year , of which interest expenses decreased by 10.09% year-on-year . The reduction in debt costs became the main support for the stabilization and recovery of net interest margin.

In terms of asset returns, its average return on total assets ( ROA ) is 0.67% and its return on equity ( ROE ) is 8.66% .

In terms of scale growth, as of the end of June 2026 , Bank of China's total assets reached RMB 40.19 trillion, an increase of 4.77% compared with the end of the previous year ; total liabilities were RMB 36.95 trillion, an increase of 5.11% compared with the end of the previous year .

On the asset side, Bank of China's total customer loans reached RMB 24.74 trillion, an increase of 5.49% compared to the end of the previous year ; total financial investments amounted to RMB 10.48 trillion, an increase of 8.51% compared to the end of the previous year . On the liability side, total customer deposits reached RMB 26.83 trillion, an increase of 2.46% compared to the end of the previous year .

The adjustment of the credit structure constitutes the main theme of its asset growth.

In the first half of the year, the balance of Bank of China's domestic manufacturing loans and strategic emerging industry loans increased by 11.56% and 14.26% respectively compared with the end of last year .

Among these, technology loans now account for more than one-third of corporate loans, serving over 5,200 core enterprises in the artificial intelligence industry chain . Green loan balances (according to the central bank) reached 5.62 trillion yuan, a 13.32% increase from the beginning of the year .

There is also a focus on both retail and inclusive finance.

The outstanding balance of inclusive micro and small enterprise loans increased to 3.06 trillion yuan; personal housing loans totaled over 200 billion yuan in the first half of the year.

In the service consumption sector, its corporate credit balance increased by 7.69% , with loans to the cultural and tourism industry increasing by more than 10% . In terms of customer base, Bank of China's total corporate customers exceeded 9 million, a 7.54% increase from the end of last year ; its total individual customers reached 560 million, a 1.10% increase from the end of last year .

Foreign exchange and globalization have always been distinctive strengths of Bank of China.

In the first half of the year, the underwriting volume of Bank of China's Panda bonds and offshore RMB bonds increased by 75% and 16% year-on-year, respectively .

In terms of exchange rate business, three new currencies have been added to the exchange rate settlement and sales listings: Romanian Leu, Zambian Kwacha, and Mauritian Rupee. The number of currencies for exchange rate settlement and sales has increased to 45 , and the total number of currencies for which foreign exchange services can be provided has exceeded 100 .

Three new RMB clearing banks were added: one from the UK, one from Sri Lanka, and one from Indonesia , bringing the total number to 19. Furthermore, the contribution of overseas commercial banks to operating revenue remained high.

Asset quality and risk mitigation capabilities remained stable.

As of the end of June , the Bank of China's non-performing loan ratio was 1.22% , a decrease of 0.01 percentage points from the end of last year;

The provision coverage ratio was 200.85% , up 0.48 percentage points from the end of last year. In terms of capital adequacy, the Group's capital adequacy ratio was 18.31% , and the risk-weighted total loss-absorbing capacity ( TLAC ) ratio was 21.66% .

In addition, Bank of China has also taken steps in digital transformation.

In the first half of the year, the average delivery cycle of its 40 technology strategy projects decreased by 15% year-on -year, the bank built more than 2,200 intelligent assistants , and the number of monthly active mobile banking customers ( MAU ) exceeded 104 million, an increase of 6.86% year-on-year .

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