Bank of China is the Bank with the longest continuous operation among Chinese banks. The Bank was formally established in February 1912 following the approval of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. From 1912 to 1949, the Bank served consecutively as the country’s central bank, international exchange bank and specialised international trade bank. Fulfilling its commitment to serving the public and developing China’s financial services sector, the Bank rose to a leading position in the Chinese financial industry and developed a good standing in the international financial community, despite many hardships and setbacks. After 1949, drawing on its long history as the state-designated specialised foreign exchange and trade bank, the Bank became responsible for managing China’s foreign exchange operations and provided vital support to the nation’s foreign trade development and economic infrastructure through its offering of international trade settlement, overseas fund transfer and other non-trade foreign exchange services. During China’s reform and opening up period, the Bank seized the historic opportunity presented by the government’s strategy of capitalising on foreign funds and advanced technologies to boost economic development, and became the country’s key foreign financing channel by building up its competitive advantages in foreign exchange business. In 1994, the Bank was transformed into a wholly state-owned commercial bank. In August 2004, Bank of China Limited was incorporated. The Bank was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange in June and July 2006 respectively, becoming the first Chinese commercial bank to launch an A-Share and H-Share initial public offering and achieve a dual listing in both markets. Having served the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Bank became the official banking partner of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2017, thus making it the only bank in China to serve two Olympic Games. In 2018, Bank of China was again designated as a Global Systemically Important Bank, thus becoming the sole financial institution from an emerging economy to be designated as a Global Systemically Important Bank for eight consecutive years.

As China’s most globalised and integrated bank, Bank of China has a well-established global service network with institutions set up across the Chinese mainland as well as in 57 countries and regions. It has established an integrated service platform based on the pillars of its corporate banking, personal banking, financial markets and other commercial banking business, which covers investment banking, direct investment, securities, insurance, funds, aircraft leasing and other areas, thus providing its customers with a comprehensive range of financial services. In addition, BOCHK and the Macau Branch serve as local note-issuing banks in their respective markets.

Bank of China has upheld the spirit of “pursuing excellence” throughout its history of over one century. With adoration of the nation in its soul, integrity as its backbone, reform and innovation as its path forward and “people first” as its guiding principle, the Bank has built up an excellent brand image that is widely recognised within the industry and by its customers. In face of the period of historic opportunities for great achievements, as a large state-owned commercial bank, the Bank will follow Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, persistently enable advancement through technology, drive development through innovation, deliver performance through transformation and enhance strength through reform, in an effort to build BOC into a world-class bank in the new era. It will make a greater contribution to developing a modernised economy and to the efforts to realise the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation and the aspirations of the people to live a better life.

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