- Business
- Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. (BOCOM) operates as one of China's leading state-owned joint-stock commercial banks, providing a comprehensive range of commercial banking and financial services to corporate and retail customers domestically and internationally; core offerings include deposits and loans, supply chain finance, cash management, international settlement and trade financing, investment banking, asset custody, wealth management, bank cards, private banking, treasury businesses, financial leasing, funds, trust, insurance, overseas securities, and debt-to-equity swap services through its extensive network of over 2,800 domestic outlets and 24 overseas branches and subsidiaries in locations such as Hong Kong, New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Sydney, Melbourne, Johannesburg, Macau, and Dubai. Founded originally in 1908 and re-established in 1987 with headquarters in Shanghai, the bank serves 2.62 million corporate customers and 192 million retail customers via online channels including mobile and internet banking, while operating through wholly-owned or controlling subsidiaries in diversified financial segments and maintaining a strong presence in key regions like the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As the fifth largest bank in China by tier-1 capital, ranking ninth globally in 2023, BOCOM focuses on distinctive business pillars such as green finance, inclusive finance, trade finance, sci-tech finance, and wealth finance, with operations spanning commercial banking, securities, and offshore services across more than 25 countries. In recent developments, the bank expanded its global footprint by establishing a new branch in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in November 2024, regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority to offer services including dealing in investments, providing credit, advising on financial products, accepting deposits, and arranging credit, enhancing its Middle East presence amid growing China-UAE collaboration; it also opened branches in Melbourne in 2018 and Johannesburg in 2020, issued its first 2024 tranche of Total Loss-Absorbing Capacity non-capital bonds to bolster stability, and continued strategic growth in loans to manufacturing, strategic emerging industries, inclusive small and micro enterprises, and agriculture, with incremental credit in major national regions exceeding 60% as per its 2024 annual activities. BOCOM maintains major shareholders including the Ministry of Finance at 26.53%, HSBC at 19.05%, and the National Social Security Fund at 14.70%, positioning it as a systemically important global bank with an additional 1% capital requirement.