SHANGHAI, Feb 13 (AFP) : China's bank lending more than doubled to 1.47 trillion yuan ($235 billion) in January from December, the central bank said Friday, with analysts citing seasonal factors and monetary easing.
In December, domestic banks extended new loans of 697.3 billion yuan, previous figures showed.
Analysts attributed the surge to the tendency of banks to lend at the beginning of the year after obtaining fresh quotas. China's central bank allots annual loan quotas to financial institutions in order to keep overall liquidity in check.
"The jump from December largely reflects the usual seasonal pattern," Julian Evans-Pritchard, China economist for Capital Economics, said in a research note.
"Bank lending is almost always strongest at the start of each year, when banks receive fresh loan quotas."
A "slightly more accommodative" monetary policy stance had also continued to support bank lending, he said.
China bank loans surge in January: Central bank
FE Team | Published: February 14, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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