Chinese bankers most concerned by bad loans: Report

An employee counts yuan banknotes at a bank in Beijing, April 13, 2016.[Photo/Agencies]

BEIJING - Rising bad loans were the main worry of Chinese bankers last year, according to an industry report.

About 90 percent of 1,794 bankers surveyed regarded risk management from bad loan pressure as the biggest challenge in 2016, according to a report by the China Banking Association and PwC.

Bad loans by commercial banks totaled 1.5 trillion yuan ($220 billion) at the end of 2016, 18.3 billion yuan more at the end of the third quarter. Accordingly, about 78 percent of the bankers put improving risk management as key task, with about 61 percent choosing to adjust business pattern.

The biggest borrower is urban infrastructure projects, followed by the medical sector.

Chinese banks also conduct off-balance-sheet businesses such as asset management and investment banking. High net worth individuals, small businesses and government departments are the top three client groups.