In wake of the opening of Taiyuan, Chengdu, Ji’nan and Tangshan branches in 2008, China Bohai Bank set up its Shanghai branch in May, 2009. By the end of July, 2009, China Bohai Bank has made significant progress in domestic outlet expansion with the opening and operation of 9 branches and 16 sub-branches. Its development speed is really amazing. Fuelled by the spirit of innovation, the bank will demonstrate greater strength in future growth.

China Bohai Bank has been the only national share-holding commercial bank approved by the State Council of China since 1996. It has also been the first bank that has brought in overseas strategic investors from the very beginning and the first national share-holding commercial bank headquartered in Tianjin.

The bank was founded on December 30, 2005 and officially started its business on February 16, 2006. It was established at a time that the development of Tianjin Binhai New Area was included as a part of national overall strategic development plan, which foretold that the bank could have a good development environment and a brighter future.

It has been a development philosophy of China Bohai Bank to take bold reform and experiments and highlight innovation. Since its establishment, the bank has taken the advantage of a historical opportunity of building the Binhai New Area into a “national pilot zone for comprehensive reform and experimental development” to launch a series of financial innovations, including the stock equity, corporate governance, operational mode, business and products and financial services. The efforts have paved a way for its fast and stable growth.

The shareholders who initiated China Bohai Bank including State-owned or State-controlled enterprises, private companies and overseas strategic investors. It has been the first of its kind in Chinese mainland that the bank introduced in overseas strategic investors from the very beginning and attracted the capital inflow of natural persons in a way of fund raising.

In April 2007, China Bohai Bank set up its investment bank department, which has been an important step for China Bohai Bank to explore the way of comprehensive operation. Relying on the investment arm, China Bohai Bank is busy exploring the possibility to conduct comprehensive business operation, with the identification of full-functional bank.

In September 2007, the Beijing branch of China Bohai Bank started operation, which was the first branch outside Tianjin. Given Beijing’s excellent and large-scale financial markets and a favorable location in the heart of Bohai Rim economic circle, the establishment of the Beijing branch allowed the bank to better serve the regional economy and promote the financial reform and innovation.

China Bohai Bank operates with a client-centered and service-oriented operation philosophy. Based on the practices, the bank provides tailor-made products and personalized services to the clients. In terms of retail banking, it has developed new products for housing mortgage to cope with the rising demands for personal investment in real estate. It also developed different types of corporate loans for SMEs.

Dated to December of 2008, the assets of China Bohai Bank amounted to 62.23 billion yuan. The deposit balance reached 49.82 billion yuan and the loan balance, including bill financing, totaled 34.75 billion yuan. They increased by 91.6 percent, 92.8 percent and 91.7 percent, respectively, year-on-year. The profitability of the bank has been kept rising, with net profit for 2008 being 127 million yuan, increasing by 178 percent, or 81 million yuan.

The growth and expansion of China Bohai Bank will serve as an impetus to the reform and development of Binhai New Area and the economic development of circum-Bohai Bay economic rim. Although it is still in the early stage, the bank has demonstrated its considerable growth momentum. Innovations will further push forward the bank, which has gradually gained international competitive edge to be a modern share-holding commercial bank with its own characteristics.