China's Banks May Be Getting Creative About Hiding Their Losses
- Lenders face 1 trillion yuan in potential losses: Commerzbank
- Banks' shadow financing grew 25% in 2015: Sanford Bernstein
Chinese Banks Seen Hiding Losses in 'Opaque' Accounts
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Chinese lenders are reacting to a regulatory crackdown on shadow financing by increasing activity in their more opaque receivables accounts, a practice Commerzbank AG estimates may result in losses of as much as 1 trillion yuan ($153 billion) over five years.
Banks are increasingly using trusts or asset management plans to lend and recording them as funds to be received rather than as loans, which are subject to stricter regulatory oversight and capital limits. The German bank’s forecast is based on total outstanding receivables of around 11.5 trillion yuan.