China's December new bank loans rise to 910 billion yuan, beating forecast

BEIJING, January 15 (Reuters) - Chinese banks extended 910 billion yuan ($130.54 billion) in new loans in December, up from 390 billion yuan in November and beating expectations, according to Reuters calculations based on data from the People's Bank of China on Thursday.

The figure was above 800 billion yuan expected by 19 analysts polled by Reuters but lower than the 990 billion recorded in December 2024.

China's central bank does not provide monthly breakdowns. Reuters calculated the December figure based on the bank's January-to-December data and compared it with the January-to-November figure of 2025.

The PBOC said new yuan loans totalled 16.27 trillion yuan for all of 2025, marking the lowest since 2018 and compared with 18.09 trillion yuan in 2024, highlighting weak borrowing needs amid a prolonged property slump and tepid demand at home.

($1 = 6.9708 Chinese yuan)