HBL becomes first Pakistani bank to open branch in Beijing
RECORDER REPORT
KARACHI: As a major milestone in Pak-China economic relations, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) has successfully achieved branch opening license in Beijing, to provide financial services to its clients.
The branch license was awarded by China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) in December 2019 and with this approval, HBL has become the first Pakistani bank to open its branch in Beijing.
According to an announcement by HBL management, the preparatory work of setting up of the HBL Beijing branch is now under way. With the approval from relevant regulators, the Beijing branch is expected to commence from the third quarter of 2020 offering a full range of products and service to its esteemed clients.
“Habib Bank remains grateful to the trust and confidence that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and CBIRC continue to repose in us, through the award of this license,” the bank said.
Upon commencement of business, the Beijing branch will be HBL’s second branch in China as HBL already has a branch with RMB business license, in the city of Urumqi. The HBL Urumqi branch formally commenced the RMB business in November last year after obtaining all regulatory approvals from concerned regulators.
Habib Bank is the first and only bank from Pakistan and one of the three banks from the South Asia and MENA region to offer end-to-end RMB intermediation in China.
Habib Bank’s presence in China will allow interacting with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and leading financial institutions involved in China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and across Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) corridors.
“China is going to be a very important country for us going forward, not only in terms of our business in China and CPEC, but also for Chinese companies working on projects in countries where HBL has branch network or through our affiliates,” HBL said.
Habib Bank is already the largest executor of CPEC-related financing in Pakistan and is gradually expanding its business in China with the ambition to make it a second home market.
