Chinese commercial banks are expected to see net profits grow by around 10% in the third and fourth quarters of 2021, boosted by stability brought about by the economic recovery, the Bank of China Research Institute predicted in a recent report. .

Since the third quarter of the year, commercial banks have continued to improve their balance sheets and have focused on the transition from increasing scale to improving quality, with operational performance steadily improving, the report notes.

For the fourth quarter, the banking sector is expected to see its commercial size maintain rapid growth, according to the report. Meanwhile, financial resources will go to more key areas and weak links, supporting small and microenterprises, rural revitalization, manufacturing, technological innovation and green development.

In terms of asset quality, the report predicts that the bad debt ratio of commercial banks will decline every year, while the stock bad debt will increase slightly.

On a cautious note, the report pointed out that clients in the real estate, low-end manufacturing, as well as wholesale and retail sectors are likely to put pressure on the quality of banks’ assets.