The Export-Import Bank of China

The Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank) is a wholly state-owned policy bank established in 1994 under the direct authority of the State Council, mandated to support China’s foreign trade, outbound investment, and overseas contracting, including projects associated with the Belt and Road Initiative. It focuses on corporate and sovereign clients rather than consumers and does not offer retail banking services. Core products include export seller’s and buyer’s credits, project and infrastructure finance, import financing for strategic goods, guarantees and letters of guarantee, and the on-lending and administration of government concessional loans and other entrusted funds. The bank operates across mainland China with an international footprint through overseas branches and representative offices, serving state-owned enterprises, large private exporters, foreign governments, and financial institutions. Funding is sourced primarily from the domestic interbank bond market via policy financial bonds, supplemented by foreign-currency bond issuance and wholesale borrowings, with access to central bank facilities typical for policy institutions. Credit ratings from major agencies are generally aligned with China’s sovereign, reflecting its policy role and state ownership. The loan book is concentrated in infrastructure, energy, transportation, equipment export, and industrial capacity cooperation, often featuring long tenors and exposure to emerging and frontier markets; risk mitigation commonly includes sovereign or sub-sovereign guarantees, collateral packages, and project cash-flow controls. The bank publishes audited financial statements and policy reports, applies Chinese accounting standards, and is subject to China’s prudential and macrofinancial oversight. It also participates in trade settlement and cross-border renminbi promotion and has issued thematic bonds, including green instruments, to finance environmental and socially oriented projects.