China CITIC Bank Just Crossed Into the "10 Trillion" Milestone, Followed by Key Personnel Changes

Listing | China Visitor Network

Review | Li Xiaoyan

CITIC Bank, which has entered the “100 Trillion Asset Club,” is steadily improving management iteration and operational efficiency, writing a new chapter of high-quality development for joint-stock banks. Recently, media reports indicate that Zhao Yuanxin, General Manager of the Credit Execution Department, has been promoted to the bank’s Party Committee member. According to industry practice, after completing regulatory and corporate governance procedures, he is expected to be appointed Vice President. This personnel adjustment is a key move in building the management team after the bank’s entry into the 10-trillion-asset level, demonstrating the maturity of its talent development system and injecting new momentum into the implementation of strategic goals and risk management.

Zhao Yuanxin’s promotion exemplifies CITIC Bank’s talent selection logic of “from front line to headquarters, from regional to global.” His background shows early service in the People’s Bank system, with solid expertise in financial regulation and policy understanding. After joining CITIC Bank, he gained experience leading core branches in multiple regions, managing Nanchang, Suzhou, and Shanghai branches, accumulating rich regional management, customer service, and team leadership experience. From 2022 to the end of 2025, Zhao served as President of the Shanghai Branch. As of June 2025, the branch’s assets reached 619.609 billion yuan, ranking third among all branches, only behind Beijing and Hangzhou, serving as a key hub for the bank’s Yangtze River Delta integration strategy. Notably, current Vice Presidents Hu Gang and He Jinsong previously served as Shanghai Branch Presidents, making this position an important talent pool for senior management, further confirming Zhao Yuanxin’s recognized operational ability and management potential.

In December 2025, Zhao succeeded Jin Xinian as General Manager of the Bank’s Credit Execution Department. Jin Xinian focused on fulfilling roles as Party Committee member, Vice President, and Risk Director, ensuring clear responsibilities and authority in risk management. His promotion to Party Committee member marks his transition from regional management to the decision-making core of the bank, integrating branch operational experience with credit management and risk control at the head office, further strengthening the bank’s “business development and risk prevention” governance framework.

Since the second half of 2025, CITIC Bank’s senior and middle management adjustments have been intensive and well-organized: Vice President Zeng Yufang of the Credit Card Center, Xiamen Branch President Zhang Xuqing, and others have had their qualifications approved successively. The management team continues to optimize through coordinated roles across headquarters, branches, front-end, and middle-office functions. In December 2025, President Lu Wei was transferred to Postal Savings Bank due to work adjustments, with Chairman Fang Heying acting as interim president. The bank maintained stable operations during this transition, with no decision-making gaps or business disruptions, demonstrating governance resilience and team stability. As a veteran with 26 years at CITIC, Lu Wei has made significant contributions in finance, capital replenishment, and international expansion. His smooth handover creates favorable conditions for the new management team to continue efforts. Currently, CITIC Bank’s senior management includes Vice Presidents Hu Gang, Xie Zhibin, Gu Lingyun, He Jinsong, Jin Xinian, Business Director Lu Jingen, and Board Secretary Zhang Qing. With Zhao Yuanxin joining the Party Committee, the management structure is more complete, decision-making and execution capabilities are further enhanced, providing solid organizational support for refined management at the 10-trillion scale.

The 2025 performance quick report shows that CITIC Bank’s total assets surpassed 10 trillion yuan, reaching 101,316.58 billion yuan, a 6.28% increase from the end of the previous year, officially entering the “10 Trillion Club” of domestic banks. It is the fourth nationwide joint-stock bank to reach this milestone after China Merchants Bank, Industrial Bank, and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. This milestone is not just about scale expansion but results from the bank’s adherence to the “value banking” strategy, deepening its focus on the real economy, and optimizing asset structure. In terms of profitability, CITIC Bank achieved a net profit attributable to the parent of 70.618 billion yuan in 2025, up 2.98% year-on-year, maintaining positive growth for consecutive years. Despite narrowing interest margins and increasing market competition, the bank demonstrates strong profitability resilience.

Asset quality continues to improve. By the end of 2025, the non-performing loan ratio was 1.15%, down 0.01 percentage points from the previous year, maintaining a good industry standard; the loan loss provision coverage ratio was 203.61%, slightly lower than last year but still above 200%, ensuring sufficient risk buffers for steady business development. In terms of business layout, CITIC Bank focuses on the “five major articles” of finance, increasing support for the real economy, technological innovation, green development, and inclusive finance. It develops balanced growth across corporate, retail, and financial markets, forming a revenue structure of “4:4:2,” effectively hedging risks from single-business fluctuations. Leveraging CITIC Group’s comprehensive financial advantages, the bank has developed distinctive competitiveness in cross-border finance, wealth management, and transaction banking, continuously consolidating its customer base. The proportion of low-cost liabilities steadily increases, supporting stable net interest margins. Meanwhile, digital transformation advances deeply, with financial technology empowering process optimization and service efficiency, continuously improving online-offline integrated service systems, enhancing customer experience and market reputation.

Behind these impressive results, CITIC Bank also faces industry-wide and stage-specific challenges. In 2025, operating income was 212.475 billion yuan, a slight decrease of 0.55% year-on-year, mainly due to the deepening of interest rate marketization, benefits to the real economy, and market fluctuations, putting pressure on net interest margins and non-interest income—common issues in the banking industry. The loan loss reserve coverage ratio slightly declined but remains within a reasonable range, reflecting ongoing efforts to optimize risk buffers amid scale expansion and profit growth.

Regarding management, the president position is temporarily vacant, and some key middle and back-office roles are yet to be filled. While this has not affected daily operations, promptly appointing a formal president and completing senior management configuration will benefit long-term strategic planning and implementation. Additionally, at the 10-trillion scale, the complexity of asset-liability management, regional coordination, and full-process risk control increases, demanding higher operational precision from management. Overall, these are transitional issues that do not alter the bank’s long-term positive outlook. With a solid customer base, sound governance, strong group synergy, and ongoing transformation, CITIC Bank has the capacity to optimize asset structure, expand non-interest income, strengthen cost control, and improve risk management, gradually alleviating short-term pressures and achieving coordinated growth in scale, efficiency, and quality.

The addition of Zhao Yuanxin and other management leaders, along with the new milestone of 10 trillion yuan in assets, marks a new development opportunity for CITIC Bank. Moving forward, as the new management team takes its place, the bank will continue to uphold its original mission of serving the real economy, deepen “value banking,” and focus on light capital transformation, digital empowerment, and comprehensive operations. It will further optimize business structure and asset quality. In risk management, high-level executives with credit management and regional risk control experience, like Zhao Yuanxin, will strengthen the bank’s “full-process, full coverage, full penetration” risk control system, balancing business development and risk prevention to ensure the bank’s steady and long-term growth. In talent development, the bank will continue to improve promotion channels that emphasize “grassroots experience, regional deepening, and headquarters empowerment,” cultivating a professional, young, and versatile management team to support long-term development.

Standing at the new starting point of 10 trillion yuan, CITIC Bank is consolidating governance through orderly management iteration, navigating cycles with steady operations, and solving development challenges through reform and innovation. As a leading member of the first tier of joint-stock banks, the bank will continue to demonstrate exemplary leadership, play a greater role in serving national strategies and promoting high-quality economic development, and create sustained, stable value for investors, customers, and society.