近二十年前获得为本地客户开展人民币业务许可的外资银行，至今仍在不断完善其在中国的策略——这里的金融部门由国有银行主导。
Almost two decades after gaining permission to conduct yuan business for local clients, foreign-funded banks are still refining their strategy in China, where the financial sector is dominated by state-owned lenders.
虽然花旗银行已退出中国零售银行业务，但其他外资银行仍在继续关闭分行和支行，转而聚焦于数字化、财富管理和核心客户，以巩固其在市场中的立足点。
While Citi exited its China retail banking business, other foreign banks have continued to close branches and sub-branches, focusing instead on digitalisation, wealth management and core clients to strengthen their foothold in the market.
德意志银行（中国）上个月宣布关闭其重庆分行，早在今年早些时候已关闭青岛分行，这使得该德国贷款机构除北京总部外，仅剩四家分行。
Deutsche Bank (China) announced the closure of its Chongqing branch last month after closing its Qingdao branch earlier this year, leaving the German lender with only four branches outside its Beijing headquarters.
汇丰银行（中国）和渣打银行（中国）在过去12个月内各自关闭了一家重庆分行。汇丰银行今年还关闭了一家北京分行。
HSBC Bank (China) and Standard Chartered (China) have each closed a Chongqing sub-branch over the past 12 months. HSBC also shut down a Beijing sub-branch this year.
“外资银行的问题在于无法创造任何真正的盈利能力，”新加坡国立大学访问高级研究员Jason Bedford表示。
“The problem for foreign banks is an inability to generate any real profitability,” said Jason Bedford, visiting senior research fellow at National University of Singapore.
他引用银行年度财务报表的数据称，在27家在中国注册成立的外资银行中，去年净资产收益率中位数为1.61%。他补充说，这使得它们“远远成为中国银行体系中盈利能力最弱的一个子集”。
Among 27 locally incorporated foreign banks, the median return on equity was 1.61 per cent last year, Bedford said, citing data from the annual financial statements of banks. That made them “by far the most unprofitable subset of the banking system in China”, he added.
Bedford表示，净资产收益率达到10%或更高通常被视为健康水平，而在27家银行中，只有两家达到了这一标准。
A return on equity of 10 per cent or higher was generally considered healthy, a threshold met only by two of the 27 banks, Bedford said.
与投资银行及其他金融服务的增长形成对比——这些业务有望在下周的金融街论坛上获得进一步提振，届时中国顶级金融监管机构将齐聚一堂，宣布新的金融改革和发展政策——外资银行在中国的扩张一直较为低迷。
Compared to the growth of investment banking and other financial services, which could receive a further boost at next week’s Financial Street Forum – where China’s top financial regulatory bodies gather to announce new financial reform and development policies – the expansion of foreign banks in the country has long been subdued.
根据政府数据，截至2025年末，中国境内的41家外资银行机构合计资产达到4.87万亿元人民币（约合7270亿美元），占全国银行业资总规模的1.3%。
The 41 foreign-funded banking entities in China reported combined assets of 4.87 trillion yuan (US$727 billion) by the end of 2025, accounting for 1.3 per cent of the country’s banking industry assets, according to government data.
贝德福德表示，鉴于本土参与者在规模、分销网络和客户关系方面具有巨大优势，外资银行“在传统贷款和存款业务方面根本无法与中国银行竞争”。
Foreign banks “simply cannot compete with Chinese banks in conventional lending and deposit-taking, given local players’ enormous advantages in scale, distribution networks and customer relationships”, Bedford said.
惠誉评级金融机构高级总监吴格蕾丝表示，她认为分行关闭是“选择性网络优化，而非撤退”。
Grace Wu, senior director for financial institutions at Fitch Ratings, said she viewed the closure of sub-branches as “selective network optimisation, rather than a retreat”.
吴格蕾丝说：“数字化降低了对实体网点的依赖，尤其是在规模较小的地区。”她强调，人民币国际化和数字支付是外资银行在中国的战略重点。
“Digitalisation has reduced reliance on physical outlets, particularly in lower-scale locations,” said Wu, highlighting yuan internationalisation and digital payments as strategic priorities for foreign banks in China.
她补充说，这些关闭与中国国内银行业的整合不同，后者正如吴格蕾丝所说，“是政策主导的，旨在加强薄弱本地贷款机构的金融稳定性、监管和韧性”。
She added that the closures differed from consolidation in China’s domestic banking sector, which Wu said was “policy-led and aimed at strengthening financial stability, supervision and resilience among weak local lenders”.
近年来，中国一直在整合小型和农村银行，作为其金融去风险行动的一部分。根据国家金融监督管理总局的数据，2025年关闭了670家机构。
China has been consolidating small and rural banks as part of its financial de-risking campaign in recent years, with 670 entities closed in 2025, according to the National Financial Regulatory Administration.
随着网上银行的快速发展，中国主要商业银行也一直在关闭网点并减少自动取款机的使用。
Major Chinese commercial banks have also been closing outlets and reducing their use of ATMs amid the rapid rise of online banking.
吴格蕾丝表示，她预计外资银行将继续专注于高端财富管理和跨境业务。根据中国媒体报道，外资银行私人银行客户人均管理资产是国内同业的2.1倍。
Wu said she expected foreign banks to remain focused on higher-value wealth management and cross-border business. Assets under management per private banking client at foreign banks averaged 2.1 times those of domestic peers, according to Chinese media reports.
贝德福德补充说，盈利能力无法完全反映外资银行在中国存在的经济价值。
Bedford added that profitability did not fully capture the economic value of foreign banks’ presence in China.
“境内运营可以为境外机构创造可观的业务，”因此，中国的外资银行仍可能“对其母集团具有战略价值”，他说。
“Onshore operations can generate substantial business for offshore offices,” so foreign banks in China could still be “strategically valuable to its parent group”, he said.
被问及近期银行关闭情况，汇丰银行发言人表示：“自2024年以来，汇丰银行在中国大陆的11个城市开设了15家财富中心。”渣打银行发言人称该行有“分行策略”，并会“不时”调整位置。德意志银行发言人表示，该行“对华长期承诺保持不变”。
Asked about the recent bank closures, an HSBC spokesperson said that “since 2024, HSBC has opened 15 wealth centres across 11 cities in mainland China.”A Standard Chartered spokesperson said the bank had “a sub-branch strategy” and adjusted locations “from time to time”. A Deutsche Bank spokesperson said the lender’s “long-term commitment to China remains unchanged”.