Banks back high-tech startups

Chinese banks in Beijing are increasingly offering loans to high-tech startups with equity investment, according to China's banking regulator.

Jiang Ping, a spokeswoman for the Beijing office of the China Banking Regulatory Commission said banks in Beijing had offered 1.36 billion yuan ($202.4 million) in loans to high-tech startups between the start of last year and June 2017.

Banks also invested 175 million yuan in 120 high-tech startups in the same period.

"The experiment can help solve the financing problem of high-tech startups," Jiang said.

She added the loan balance of Beijing's banks for high-tech companies had totaled 408.9 billion yuan by the end of June.

The Beijing office of the China Banking Regulatory Commission has issued a guideline for banks offering loans to high-tech startups with equity investment.

Three banks have established branches in the Zhongguancun Science Park where there is a total of 939 banking outlets.