China central bank paper proposes full liberalisation of childbirth
(ATF) A research paper published by China’s central bank on Wednesday said China should not only liberalise but “vigorously encourage” childbearing, otherwise the country's working age population will drop by 15% by 2050.The paper, written in Chinese, proposed that policymakers should also curb property price surges to retain young talent, …
Continue reading
China’s central bank releases first quarter data for 2021
(ATF) China’s central bank has released its Financial Statistics Report for the first quarter of 2021. In a press release, the People's Bank of China said "broad" money (M2) grew by 9.4% and "narrow" money (M1) expanded by 7.1% during the first three months of the year. At the end …
Continue reading
After Alibaba’s $2.8bn antitrust fine, who will be the next target?
(ATF) Alibaba Group’s shares rose in Hong Kong after Chinese authorities announced a fine of over $2.8 billion on the e-commerce giant – but shares of other Chinese internet giants have plunged. Analysts say Alibaba won’t be the last target of Beijing’s anti-monopoly campaign, and other e-commerce giants, such as …
Continue reading
China's central bank floats plan for yuan futures exchange market
(ATF) Numerous concerns have been raised about the recommendation of China’s central bank to establish a yuan exchange-rate futures market.The People's Bank of China issued a working paper on Tuesday April 6 that said a yuan exchange rate futures market should be set up in due course. Authors of the …
Continue reading
China bans micro-lenders from 'fleecing' college students
(ATF) China has banned micro-lending firms such as Jack Ma’s Ant Group from granting consumer loans to college students in a bid to prevent more than 30 million students across the mainland from falling into debt traps.The ban strikes another blow against online micro-lending platforms, including Ant Group’s Huabei and …
Continue reading
Climate change poses challenge to financial stability, PBoC warns
(ATF) China’s central bank governor has warned that climate change poses new challenges to financial stability and monetary policy, and that risks must be assessed and tackled in a timely manner in order for the world’s second largest economy to fulfill its pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2060.The massive amount …
Continue reading
Predatory online loans still causing trouble for young Chinese
(ATF) The Chinese government has imposed a range of measures to crack down on online lending platforms, and while these moves have hit some of the country's biggest operators, such as Alibaba, Tencent, etc, they appear to have only been a partial success. And that may stem from the fact …
Continue reading
China tests cross-border digital currency links
(ATF) People's Bank of China (PBOC) has joined a digital currency cross-border payment project with several other central banks, which is seen as an important step by China’s central bank to boost the digital yuan’s reach. In a statement posted on the PBoC’s website on Wednesday, the bank said its …
Continue reading
PBoC JV with Swift may signal bid to boost digital yuan's reach
(ATF) The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) has set up a joint venture with SWIFT, the global system for financial messaging and cross-border payments, in a sign that China is exploring global use of the digital version of the yuan - China’s national currency. SWIFT (the Society for Worldwide Interbank …
Continue reading
China could ditch 2021 GDP target over fears it’ll encourage debt
China will likely avoid setting a 2021 growth target over concerns that maintaining one could encourage provincial economies to ramp up debt, policy sources have said.The world's second-biggest economy eked out 2.3% of growth last year despite the ravages of a worldwide pandemic that emerged from the central city of …
Continue reading