China Tightens Regulations over Banks' Investment Products

The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), the nation's banking regulator, on Oct 9 unveiled new measures to improve regulations over banks' wealth investment products.

The new measures came three months after CBRC began soliciting public opinion on wealth investment management since June 29 this year to regulate one of the banking industry's most profitable businesses.

Commercial banks have seen rapid development of their wealth investment businesses in recent years, but some problems have also appeared along with the robust growth, including misleading and falsified sales of products to clients, the CBRC said in a statement on its website.

Those problems have damaged the legitimate interests of clients and hurt the banking industry's integrity, the CBRC said.

The banking regulator ordered commercial banks to improve the information disclosure system to better inform clients about risks when they buy wealth investment products from banks.

The documents of wealth investment products should include information on investment risks and carry out necessary assessments of clients' ability to endure risks and give anticipated results in worst-case scenarios, according to the new measures.

Chinese commercial banks used to lure investors to buy their wealth investment products by touting how profitable they might be.

The assessment of clients' risk-enduring abilities should be based on their age, financial statements and investment experience, according to the CBRC.

Source: Xinhua