TOPIC

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People’s Bank of China (PBOC)

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is the central bank of mainland China. It is responsible for carrying out monetary policy and regulation of financial institutions, including setting interest rates.

Industry

Banking

Website

pbc.gov.cn

Headquarters address

No. 32, Financial Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100820, China

Year founded

1948

US-China relations

China’s US dollar holdings

China’s direct holdings of US Treasuries fell to an 18-year low in August as the country shifts to buying the bonds via Europe while continuing to diversify by increasing gold reserves.

23 Sep 2026 - 4:52PM

China’s private sector

China cracks down on big firms delaying payments to cash-strapped SMEs

15 Sep 2026 - 5:51PM

Banking & finance

‘Gone in seconds’: Chinese buyers snap up government debt amid US bond turmoil

11 Sep 2026 - 10:00PM

China's economic recovery

The double-edged sword China has unsheathed in the housing market

Beijing aims to restore buyer confidence, trading near-term financial pain for some developers for long-term market stability, analysts say.

31 Aug 2026 - 4:52PM

Homebuyers shop at a pre-sale event in Yangxin county, Binzhou city, in East China’s Shandong province on February 23, 2025. Photo: Getty Images

Banking & finance

Chinese central bank’s 15th five-year plan

The People’s Bank of China pledges to expand global use of the yuan to make the country a financial powerhouse in its first stand-alone five-year plan in at least a decade.

14 Aug 2026 - 12:33PM

Banking & finance

China’s central bank eyes global yuan in first solo 5-year plan in over a decade

The strategy signals Beijing’s push to build a ‘strong central bank’ capable of driving its financial powerhouse ambitions, analyst says.

11 Aug 2026 - 4:16PMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

UnionPay to link Chinese payment apps to Brazil’s Pix after US tariffs

Central banks stay silent on pilot that would let tourists scan and pay weeks after Washington taxed the system.

8 Aug 2026 - 4:41AMvideocam

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV sales falter at home as growth slows

Big three Chinese premium vehicle makers’ deliveries decline in July and central bank vows steps to foster economic growth as it hits a four-year low.

3 Aug 2026 - 5:10PM

China’s Communist Party

China factories cool, CXMT surges, PLA marks anniversary

This week: China manufacturing surprisingly contracts, the Politburo dampens stimulus expectations, memory maker CXMT surges after IPO, and the US bans imports of Chinese robots. Next week: The PLA celebrates its 99th anniversary, July exports may cool, HSBC posts earnings, soccer giants play in Hong Kong, and more.

31 Jul 2026 - 5:00PM

China’s Communist Party

July Politburo meeting read-out

SCMP Plus annotates the read-out of the July meeting of China’s top-level Politburo, where it was agreed that the Communist Party’s fifth plenum will be held in October and which signalled stronger support for the economy.

31 Jul 2026 - 2:55PM

Banking & finance

Yuan: global ambitions

Chinese President Xi Jinping wants the yuan to be a “strong currency”, with widespread use in international trade and foreign exchange markets. Achieving this goal would pare the US dollar’s global dominance and reduce risks from sanctions.

9 Jul 2026 - 10:41AM

Banking & finance

China further boosts Hong Kong’s role as offshore yuan hub

Central bank chief Pan Gongsheng unveiled new steps to grow the yuan market in Hong Kong, underscoring the city’s role in boosting global use of China’s currency.

8 Jul 2026 - 5:11PM

Banking & finance

China extends gold-buying binge to 20th month in Beijing’s de-dollarisation push

PBOC’s bullion holdings keep rising as forex reserves dip in June to US$3.42 trillion and the central bank seeks security from sanctions and US market volatility.

7 Jul 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Banking & finance

Beijing unveils policy enhancements to give ‘vitality’ to Hong Kong markets

The governor of China’s central bank says Beijing is set to increase capital allocation to the city to 800 billion yuan under the Bond Connect scheme.

7 Jul 2026 - 12:25PM

Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China gives a keynote speech at Hong Kong FIC & Bond Connect Summit in Admiralty. Photo: Sun Yueng

Banking & finance

‘Might not be the last’: the red flags behind China’s latest bank rescue

Regulators intervened over concerns of aggressive expansion and credit risks, underscoring vulnerabilities in some smaller regional lenders.

6 Jul 2026 - 11:02PMvideocam

Paramilitary police officers stand guard in front of the headquarters of the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, in Beijing on September 30. Photo: Reuters

Banking & finance

Indonesia set to issue US$1 billion in panda bonds in China

The Southeast Asian country will offer the bonds in an attempt to better stabilise its national finances as the rupiah continues to fall.

26 Jun 2026 - 4:30PM

Yuan

Hong Kong readies offshore yuan initiatives after Shanghai move

Beijing is supporting the development of offshore yuan trading as part of a broader drive to boost the Chinese currency’s global role.

24 Jun 2026 - 11:26PM

Banking & finance

PBOC chief says China a haven for asset diversification in volatile world

Pan Gongsheng tells representatives from about 30 central banks around the world that opening-up measures are working.

11 Jun 2026 - 5:25PM

People’s Bank of China governor Pan Gongsheng at a news conference on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress in Beijing in March. Photo: AP

Gold in Hong Kong

World Gold Council says diversification driving China’s growing reserves

China’s gold reserves have grown for 18 straight months, country’s central bank says.

29 May 2026 - 4:46PM

Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)

Hong Kong, mainland China officials meet to bolster cross-border connect schemes

HKMA’s Eddie Yue, State Administration of Foreign Exchange’s Zhu Hexin discuss ways to strengthen city’s role as a global financial hub.

29 Apr 2026 - 4:33PM

Yuan

Yuan’s ‘golden window’ is open, former PBOC governor says as US dollar ebbs

Zhou Xiaochuan, who laid the foundation for China’s currency to go global, says Beijing can capitalise on changes in the international monetary landscape.

13 Apr 2026 - 2:59PM

People walk past Chinese yuan and US dollar symbols in Hong Kong. Former PBOC governor Zhou Xiaochuan says China should seize fresh opportunities to promote the yuan as an international currency. Photo: AFP

Banking & finance

China’s central bank pledges stability in capital markets amid global sell-off

With worries over the Iran war driving down stock prices, the People’s Bank of China has named market stability as a ‘major task’ in 2026.

19 Mar 2026 - 9:30PM

Governor of the People’s Bank of China, Pan Gongsheng, speaks during a press conference on the sideline of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on March 6, 2026. Photo: AP

Artificial intelligence

Amid OpenClaw frenzy, China’s central bank adds to cybersecurity warnings

People’s Bank of China says deployment of AI in financial sector should be ‘proactive yet prudent, safe and orderly’.

12 Mar 2026 - 6:00PMvideocam

China stock market

China’s top court backs legal action against corrupt firms amid equity rally

The court’s initiative marks ‘a positive sign that the market would sustain its upward momentum’, hedge fund manager Zhou Ling says.

24 Feb 2026 - 6:00PM

Banking & finance

China puts another big bank under stricter watch – why now?

Beijing continues to impose stricter regulatory standards on major lenders, shielding the financial system from mounting strains.

15 Feb 2026 - 10:08PM

A signboard of China Zheshang Bank is seen at its branch in Beijing on March 14, 2016. Regulators have now tightened oversight of the bank. Photo: Reuters

Yuan

Xi wants yuan’s global punch to match Chinese economic might

Xi Jinping’s wish to turn the yuan into a global reserve currency, and thereby boost China’s economic influence, conflicts with the nation’s capital controls.

2 Feb 2026 - 5:00PM

Banking & finance

China’s yuan finds firmer footing in corporate fundraising efforts

Uses of yuan borrowing broaden to include working capital and capex, supported by Hong Kong’s liquidity boost, bankers say.

1 Feb 2026 - 5:00PM

China manufacturing

China’s factory activity contracts in January on weak domestic demand

The official purchasing managers’ index drops to 49.3 in January, from 50.1 in December.

31 Jan 2026 - 1:07PM

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