China’s big banks eye profit relief but face new pressures from war, policy
Finance
Deposit repricing, abating rate pressure buoy outlook; fee rules, Iran turmoil sow doubts
China’s big state-owned banks expect good news ahead for their long-wallowing net interest margins — a key measure of bank profitability calculated as the difference between interest income and expenses. (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
LORRETTA CHEN and WATARU SUZUKI
March 30, 2026 16:09 JST
Updated on March 30, 2026 21:08 JST
HONG KONG — Interest rates may be ready to turn in the favor of China’s big state-owned banks, but they still face a bumpy road to profit growth as Beijing’s economic balancing act and the Middle East conflict cast shadows on alternative sources of revenue.
