View source for Bank of China

{{short description|Chinese state-owned commercial bank}}
{{About|the commercial bank in China|the central bank of China|People's Bank of China|the Filipino commercial bank|Chinabank}}{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}{{Infobox company
| name = Bank of China Limited
| native_name = 中国银行股份有限公司
| native_name_lang = zh-Hans
| logo = Bank of China.svg
| logo_size = 
| image = File:BOC Headquarters at Xidan (20171123140827).jpg
| image_caption = Bank of China Headquarters in [[Beijing]], China, inaugurated in 2001
| type = [[Public company|Public]]<br />[[State-owned enterprise|State-owned]]
| traded_as = {{ubl|{{SSE|601988}} (A share)|{{hkse|3988}} (H share)|<hr>|[[SSE 50 Index|SSE 50 Component]] (A)|[[Hang Seng Index|Hang Seng Component]] (H)}}
| ISIN = {{Unbulleted list|{{ISIN|sl=n|pl=y|CNE000001N05}}|{{ISIN|sl=n|pl=y|CNE1000001Z5}}}}
| foundation = {{start date and age|1905}} (as [[Da-Qing Bank]])<br> {{start date and age|1912}} (as Bank of China)<br>{{start date and age|1979}} (re-established)
| founder = [[Chen Jintao]]
| hq_location = 
| location_city = [[Beijing]]
| location_country = [[China]]<ref>Corporate Information, Bank of China, https://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/201104/P020110427563098317418.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509062001/https://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/201104/P020110427563098317418.pdf |date=9 May 2021 }}</ref>
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = [[Ge Haijiao]] ([[Chairman]] and [[President (Corporation)|President]])
| industry = [[Financial services]]
| products = {{ubl | [[Asset management]] | [[Banking]] | [[Commodities]] | [[Credit card]]s | [[Equities trading]] | [[Insurance]] | [[Investment management]] | [[Mortgage loan]]s | [[Private equity]] | [[Wealth management]] }}
| revenue = {{Increase}} {{CNY|link=yes|503.81 billion}}<br><small>$73.23&nbsp;billion</small><ref name="ar2018">{{cite web|title=Annual Report 2018|url=http://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/201903/P020190329601110675116.pdf|publisher=Bank of China Limited|access-date=2 June 2019|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602055630/http://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/201903/P020190329601110675116.pdf|archive-date=2 June 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
| revenue_year = 2018
| operating_income = {{Increase}} {{CNY|227.53 billion}}<br />$33.07&nbsp;billion<ref name="ar2018" />
| income_year = 2018
| net_income = {{Increase}} {{CNY|192.44 billion}}<br />$27.97&nbsp;billion<ref name="ar2018" />
| net_income_year = 2018
| assets = {{Increase}} {{CNY|21.267 trillion}}<br />$3.091&nbsp;trillion<ref name="ar2018" /><ref name="2013report">[http://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/201403/P020140326594419415439.pdf "2013 Annual Report"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204232226/http://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/201403/P020140326594419415439.pdf |date=4 December 2014 }} ''Bank of China 2013 Annual Report'', Pic.bankofchina.com</ref>
| assets_year = 2018
| equity = {{Increase}} {{CNY|1.613 trillion}}<br />$234&nbsp;billion<ref name="ar2018" />
| num_employees = 306,322<ref>中国银行股份有限公司, [https://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/202203/P020220329651388848178.pdf "中国银行股份有限公司2021年年度报告"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517002942/https://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/202203/P020220329651388848178.pdf |date=17 May 2022 }}, ''中国银行股份有限公司'', 29 March 2022. p 69. Retrieved 2022-05-16.</ref>
| num_employees_year = 2021
| subsid = {{ubl|[[Bank of China (Hong Kong)]]|[[Bank of China#Canada|Bank of China (Canada)]]}}
| equity_year = 2018
| owner = [[Government of China]]
| ratio = 16.91% (2021)<ref>中国银行股份有限公司, [https://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/202203/P020220329652320379247.pdf "中国银行股份有限公司2021年资本充足率报告"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517002956/https://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/202203/P020220329652320379247.pdf |date=17 May 2022 }}, ''Bank of China Limited'', 29 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-16.</ref>
| rating = A, A-1, Stable ([[S&P]])<br />A1, P-1, Stable ([[Moody's Investors Service#Moody's credit ratings|Moody's]])<br />A, F1+, Stable ([[Fitch Ratings|Fitch]])<ref>Bank of China, [https://www.boc.cn/en/investor/ir4/201311/t20131114_2637906.html "Credit Rating"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028000836/https://www.boc.cn/en/investor/ir4/201311/t20131114_2637906.html |date=28 October 2020 }}, ''Bank of China'', 12 December 2019. Retrieved 2022-05-16.</ref>
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.boc.cn/en/|boc.cn}}<br>{{URL|https://www.bankofchina.com/en/|bankofchina.com}}<br>{{URL|https://www.bank-of-china.com/en/|bank-of-china.com}}<br>{{URL|https://www.bocusa.com/|bocusa.com}}
}}
{{chinese
| s = 中国银行
| t = 中國銀行
| p = Zhōngguó Yínháng
| s2 = 中银
| t2 = 中銀
| p2 = Zhōngyín
| c3 = 中行
| p3 = Zhōngháng
| order = st
}}
The '''Bank of China''' ('''BOC'''; {{zh|s=中国银行|p=Zhōngguó Yínháng}}; [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]: ''Banco da China'') is a state-owned Chinese [[Multinational corporation|multinational]] banking and [[financial services]] corporation headquartered in [[Beijing|Beijing, China]]. It is one of the "[[Big four banks|big four]]" banks in China. As of 31 December 2019, it was the second-largest lender in China overall and ninth-largest bank in the world by market capitalization value,<ref name="media">{{cite web |title=Global 500 December 2009 : Market values and prices at 31 December 2009 |url=http://media.ft.com/cms/419e021c-fecd-11de-91d7-00144feab49a.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313071423/http://media.ft.com/cms/419e021c-fecd-11de-91d7-00144feab49a.pdf |archive-date=13 March 2010 |access-date=28 March 2017 |website=Media.ft.com}}</ref> and it is considered a [[Systemically important financial institution|systemically important bank]] by the [[Financial Stability Board]]. As of the end of 2020, it was the [[List of largest banks|fourth-largest bank in the world]] in terms of total assets, ranked after the other three Chinese banks.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 May 2018 |title=These are the 28 biggest banks in the world — each one with more than $1 trillion of assets |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-banks-in-the-world-2018-5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302024901/https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-banks-in-the-world-2018-5 |archive-date=2 March 2019 |access-date=1 March 2019 |publisher=Business insider}}</ref>  

The Bank of China was formed in 1912 by renaming the [[Qing dynasty]]'s [[Da-Qing Bank]] (est. 1905) under the newly established Republican government. Until 1942, it issued banknotes on behalf of the government as one of the "Big Four" banks of the period, together with the [[Bank of Communications]] (est. 1908), [[Central Bank of China]] (est. 1924), and [[Farmers Bank of China]] (est. 1933). Following the [[Chinese Communist Revolution]] in 1949, most of its operations were absorbed into the [[People's Bank of China]] (PBC); its core operations moved to and continued activity in [[Taiwan]], where it renamed itself [[International Commercial Bank of China]] upon privatization in 1971. In 1979, the Bank of China was re-established by spin-off from the PBC in the early phase of [[Chinese economic reform]].

The Bank of China operates a [[Bank of China (Hong Kong)|local subsidiary]] in [[Hong Kong]], with which it maintains close relations in management and administration and co-operates in several areas including reselling BOC's insurance and securities services.

==History==

===Early 20th century===

In 1905, the [[Qing]] government established the [[Da-Qing Bank]] in [[Beijing]]. When the [[Republic of China (1912-49)|Republic of China]] was established in 1912, [[Chen Jintao]] was named head of financial reform in President [[Sun Yat-sen]]'s government and reorganized the Da-Qing Bank into the Bank of China, of which he has subsequently been viewed as the founder.<ref>中国银行简介 ．中国银行官网</ref><ref>媒体解析央企"一把手"任命与选拔模式 ．网易新闻</ref><ref>1912年2月5日 民国政府第一银行：中国银行开业 ．搜狐网</ref><ref>中国金融机构名录：中国银行 ．腾讯财经</ref>

In 1917, [[Tsuyee Pei]] opened the branch of the Bank of China in Hong Kong.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tG589-fsj1gC&q=1917&pg=PA112|title=Encyclopedia of Business in Today's World: A - C|last=Wankel|first=Charles|date=2009|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=9781412964272|language=en|access-date=24 November 2020|archive-date=17 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517003004/https://books.google.com/books?id=tG589-fsj1gC&q=1917&pg=PA112|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=History {{!}} About us {{!}} BOCHK|url=https://www.bochk.com/m/en/aboutus/corpprofile/history.html|access-date=2 October 2021|website=www.bochk.com|language=en|archive-date=2 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002052246/https://www.bochk.com/m/en/aboutus/corpprofile/history.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1928, the bank moved its head office from Beijing to [[Shanghai]].

In 1920, the bank opened the Investigative Office of the Bank of China.<ref name=":023">{{Cite book |last1=Bachulska |first1=Alicja |url=https://ecfr.eu/publication/idea-of-china/ |title=The Idea of China: Chinese Thinkers on Power, Progress, and People |last2=Leonard |first2=Mark |last3=Oertel |first3=Janka |date=2 July 2024 |publisher=[[European Council on Foreign Relations]] |isbn=978-1-916682-42-9 |location=Berlin, Germany |pages=142 |format=EPUB |access-date=22 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717120845/https://ecfr.eu/publication/idea-of-china/ |archive-date=17 July 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Investigative Office was the earliest research body in China's banking sector.<ref name=":023" />

In 1929, the bank opened a branch in London, its first outside of China.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bE5tkGrpv-wC&q=1929&pg=PA19|title=A Guide to the Top 100 Companies in China|last1=Zhang|first1=Wenxian|last2=Alon|first2=Ilan|date=2010|publisher=World Scientific|isbn=9789814291477|language=en|access-date=24 November 2020|archive-date=17 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517002945/https://books.google.com/books?id=bE5tkGrpv-wC&q=1929&pg=PA19|url-status=live}}</ref> The branch managed the government's foreign debt, became a center for the bank's management of its foreign exchange, and acted as an intermediary for China's international trade. In 1931, another overseas branch opened in [[Osaka]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Expansion of Foreign Exchange Business via Bank of China Overseas Branches (1929 - 1936)|url=https://www.bankofchina.com/en/aboutboc/ab7/200809/t20080926_1601873.html|website=Bank of China|access-date=8 May 2021|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510142828/https://www.bankofchina.com/en/aboutboc/ab7/200809/t20080926_1601873.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and in 1936 in [[Singapore]] (to handle remittances to China of overseas Chinese) as well as an agency in [[New York City|New York]].

In 1937, on the outbreak of hostilities with Japan, Japanese forces blockaded China's major ports. The Bank of China opened a number of branches in [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]], [[Penang]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Haiphong]], [[Hanoi]], [[Rangoon]], [[Bombay]], and [[Calcutta]] to facilitate the gathering of remittances and the flow of military supplies. It also opened sub-agencies in [[Surabaya]], [[Medan]], [[Dabo, Indonesia|Dabo]], [[Batu Pahat]], [[Baichilu]], [[Mandalay]], [[Lashio]], [[Ipoh]], and [[Seremban]]. In 1941–1942, the Japanese conquest of Southeast Asia forced the BOC to close all its overseas branches, agencies, sub-branches and sub-agencies, except London, New York, Calcutta, and Bombay. Nevertheless, in 1942, it managed to set up six new overseas branches, such as in [[Sydney]], (Australia), [[Liverpool]], and [[Havana]], and possibly [[Karachi]]. In late July 1942, it lost its [[Bank of issue|note-issuance privilege]] simultaneously as the [[Bank of Communications]] and the [[Farmers Bank of China]], as the [[Central Bank of China]] was granted the issuance monopoly in the territories still ruled by the Nationalist government.<ref name=MLi>{{citation |publisher=Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and Study of Business Enterprise |url=https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/iae/files/2020/01/Inflation-in-Eastern-China-during-the-Second-Sino-Japanese-War.pdf |title=Inflation in Eastern China during the Second Sino-Japanese War |author=Michell Li |date=May 2018}}</ref>{{rp|13}}

Following the end of [[World War II]], the Bank of China in 1946 reopened its branches and agencies in Hong Kong, Singapore, Haiphong, Rangoon, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Jakarta. It moved the Hanoi agency to [[Saigon]]. At the suggestion of the Allied Forces Headquarters, it liquidated the branch in Osaka, Japan and opened a sub-branch in Tokyo. In 1947, the bank opened agencies in [[Bangkok]], [[Chittagong]], and Tokyo.

In 1950, following the victory of Communist forces in the civil war, some of the BOC's overseas branches (e.g. Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Calcutta, Bombay, Chittagong, and Karachi) of Bank of China remained with the mainland bank headquartered in Beijing, while others (e.g. New York, Tokyo, Havana, Bangkok, and one other, possibly Panama) remained with the Bank of China headquartered in [[Taipei]], which in 1971 took the new name [[International Commercial Bank of China]] ({{lang|zh-hant|中國國際商業銀行}}). The Rangoon branch was nationalized in 1963 together with all other foreign and domestic banks in Burma. In 1971, China transferred the two branches in Karachi and Chittagong to the [[National Bank of Pakistan]]. In 1975, the Republic of South Vietnam nationalized the branch in Saigon and the [[Khmer Rouge]] government nationalized that in [[Phnom Penh]].

<gallery>
File:北京大清户部银行旧址 2021-09-03.jpg|Entrance to the {{ill|Da-Qing Bank head office complex|zh|大清戶部銀行舊址}} in Beijing, Bank of China head office from 1912 to 1928
File:First Headquarters of Bank of China, Dec 2017.jpg|Former Da-Qing Bank branch in Shanghai, Bank of China head office from 1928 to 1946
File:Bank of China Building, The Bund, Dec 2017.jpg|[[Bank of China Building, Shanghai]], completed in 1937, used by the [[Central Reserve Bank of China]] from 1941 to 1945, then Bank of China head office from 1946 to 1949
File:Former Bank of China in Qingdao 2007-04.JPG|Former branch in [[Qingdao]]
File:南京中国银行旧址（下关）2016.jpg|Former Bank of China building in [[Nanjing]]
File:原大清银行.jpg|Former Bank of China building in [[Wuhan]]
File:HK OldBankOfChinaBuilding Queensway2.JPG|[[Bank of China Building (Hong Kong)|Former Bank of China building]] in [[Hong Kong]], seat of the BOC Hong Kong branch from 1951 to 1991
</gallery>

===Since 1979===
[[File:Site of Continental Bank Beijing Branch (20230423131344).jpg|thumb|Former {{ill|Continental Bank Beijing building|zh|大陸銀行北京分行}} in [[Xicheng, Beijing|Xicheng]], [[Beijing]], head office of the re-established Bank of China from 1979 to 2001]]

The [[People's Bank of China]] began spinning off its commercial functions starting in 1978, and re-established the Bank of China in 1979 with focus on international finance.<ref name=":0232">{{Cite book |last=Roach |first=Stephen S. |url= |title=Accidental Conflict: America, China, and the Clash of False Narratives |date=2022 |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |isbn=978-0-300-26901-7 |location=New Haven |doi=10.12987/9780300269017 |jstor=j.ctv2z0vv2v |oclc=1347023475 |author-link=Stephen S. Roach}}</ref>{{Rp|page=225}} That same year, the new BOC opened a branch in [[Luxembourg]], which gradually became its European headquarters through the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boc.cn/en/bocinfo/bi1/201307/t20130705_2348888.html |title=Bank of China Becomes the First RMB Clearing Bank Recognized by Government of Luxembourg |website=Boc.cn |date=1 July 2013 |access-date=28 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073715/http://www.boc.cn/en/bocinfo/bi1/201307/t20130705_2348888.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1981 it opened a branch in New York,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bank of China U.S.A. New York Branch|url=https://www.bocusa.com/contact-us/new-york-branch|access-date=2 October 2021|website=Bank Of China|language=en|archive-date=2 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002053222/https://www.bocusa.com/contact-us/new-york-branch|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by [[Paris]] in 1985. In 1987, the BOC became an ordinary member of the [[LBMA]]. In 1992, it opened a [[representative office]] in [[Toronto]], upgraded the next year as a [[Schedule II banks|Schedule II bank]]. 

During [[Reform and Opening Up]], the Bank of China established its Institute of International Finance.<ref name=":023" /> The Institute performed research that influenced bank decisions and central government policy making.<ref name=":023" />

===2000s===
The BOC experiences challenges in [[Singapore]]. In 2001, Kwangtung Provincial Bank was closed and merged under Bank of China, Singapore Branch; one year later, Bank of China Futures Pte Ltd wound up operations in Singapore. In 2001-2007, the BOC undertook massive staff layoffs and paycuts in BOC Singapore Branch, a phase of turmoil that culminated in 2007 when branch head Zhu Hua was asked to leave by the [[Monetary Authority of Singapore]] for his poor performance. He was replaced by [[Liu Yan Fen]]. In 2008, the head of Settlements at BOC, [[Chin Chuh Meng]], was investigated involvement for Multi-Level Marketing Activities in Singapore, a scheme involving employees of the Bank of China and ex-Kwangtung Bank.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/18/content_10072833.htm |title=Firm set up to manage CIRC fund_English_Xinhua |website=News.xinhuanet.com |date=18 September 2008 |access-date=28 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108124641/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/18/content_10072833.htm |archive-date=8 November 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2009, People's Park Remittance Centre opened in Singapore, while Sunday Banking Business ceased in Chinatown Sub-branch in Singapore.

In 2005, in the runup to its initial public offering, BOC solicited long term investors to take strategic stakes in the company, including a $3.1&nbsp;billion investment by the [[Royal Bank of Scotland]] Group PLC and further investments by Swiss bank [[UBS AG]] and [[Temasek Holdings]]<!-- Pte. Ltd --> (who also promised to subscribe for an additional $500&nbsp;million worth of shares during the IPO). The Bank was also investigated by the United States in its money laundering probe related to the [[superdollar]]s affair.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200509/200509080007.html |title=Digital Chosunilbo (English Edition) : Daily News in English About Korea |access-date=12 January 2006 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317014232/http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200509/200509080007.html |archive-date=17 March 2007 }}</ref> On {{date|2006/06/01}}, the BOC's listing on the [[Hong Kong Stock Exchange]] was the largest [[initial public offering|IPO]] since 2000 and the fourth largest IPO ever, raising some US$9.7&nbsp;billion in the H-share Global Offering. The Over-Allotment Option was then exercised on 7 June 2006, raising the total value of their IPO to US$11.2&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-06/01/content_4632335_2.htm |title=Xinhua - English |website=News.xinhuanet.com |date=1 June 2006 |access-date=28 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924025942/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-06/01/content_4632335_2.htm |archive-date=24 September 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> BOC also made a successful IPO in mainland China on 5 July 2006, offering up to 10&nbsp;billion A-shares on the [[Shanghai Stock Exchange|Shanghai A Stock Exchange]] for RMB20&nbsp;billion (US$2.5&nbsp;billion). BOC also bought [[Singapore Airlines]]'s stake in [[BOC Aviation|Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise]], renaming it [[BOC Aviation]] in 2007. 

Mainland China accounted for 60% of the bank by profits and 76% by assets as at December 2005.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}}

In 2008, BOC acquired a 20 percent stake in the [[Compagnie Financière Edmond de Rothschild]] (LCFR) for 236.3&nbsp;million euros (US$340&nbsp;million). In 2009, the bank opened branches in [[São Paulo]] and [[Maputo]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2015-06/25/content_21095481.htm|title=China banks boom in Brazil{{!}}Latin America{{!}}chinadaily.com.cn|website=usa.chinadaily.com.cn|access-date=13 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114040406/http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2015-06/25/content_21095481.htm|archive-date=14 November 2017|url-status = dead}}</ref> as well as [[Penang]] in October.

As of 2009, the BoC was the second largest lender in China overall, and the fifth largest bank in the world by market capitalization value.<ref name=media/> Once 100% owned by the central government, via [[China Central Huijin]] and National Council for Social Security Fund (SSF), an [[Initial public offering]] (IPO) of its shares took place in June 2006; at present, the [[free float]] is over 26%.

===2010s===
In December 2010, the New York branch of the BoC began offering [[renminbi]] products for Americans.<ref>{{cite web|title=RMB Business Q&A|publisher=Bank of China|url=http://www.bocusa.com/portal/Info?id=649|access-date=28 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415101700/http://www.bocusa.com/portal/Info?id=649|archive-date=15 April 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> It was the first major Chinese bank to offer such a product.

A list published in 2011 by ''[[Forbes]]'' ranked the BoC as the 4th-largest company in the world.<ref name=for11>{{cite news|title=The World's Biggest Public Companies|url=https://www.forbes.com/global2000/|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date= 6 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604160513/http://www.forbes.com/global2000/|archive-date=4 June 2011 |url-status = live}}</ref>

In 2012, the BOC opened a branch in [[Taiwan]]. The opening was seen as a symbol of deepening economic ties across Taiwan Strait<ref>[http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120627_31.html]{{dead link|date=March 2017}}</ref> Bank of China (M) Bhd opened its 6th branch in Malaysia at Tower 2, PFCC, Bandar Puteri Puchong in 2012. BOC also opened a branch in Stockholm in 2012, and in Lisbon in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BOC opens first branch in Portugal {{!}} Asian Banking and Finance|url=https://asianbankingandfinance.net/branch-banking/news/boc-opens-first-branch-in-portugal|access-date=15 March 2021|website=asianbankingandfinance.net|date=10 July 2013|language=en|archive-date=6 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706021748/http://asianbankingandfinance.net/branch-banking/news/boc-opens-first-branch-in-portugal|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[2013 Korean crisis]], the Bank of China halted business with a North Korean bank accused by the United States of financing Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/bank-china-cuts-key-north-korea-trade-bank|title=Bank Of China Cuts Off North Korea Trade Bank|date=7 May 2013|access-date=7 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606224114/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/bank-china-cuts-key-north-korea-trade-bank|archive-date=6 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> New branch opened in Montreal. The [[Bank of China#Canada|Canadian arm of the Bank of China]] now has 10 branches across Canada, including five in the [[Greater Toronto Area]] and three in Vancouver.<ref>The Bank of China on 29 May 2014 was approached by  investors. The investors were offering  a better deal than the government. The investors invested over 100&nbsp;trillion us dollars with the interest rate of only 5.75% on loans, mortgages,  and 10% on all returns of investment  in the China Bank  {{cite web|title=Bank of China opens Montreal branch |url=https://montrealgazette.com/business/Bank+China+opens+Montreal+branch/9011754/story.html |work=Montreal Gazette |access-date=25 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008172209/http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Bank%2BChina%2Bopens%2BMontreal%2Bbranch/9011754/story.html |archive-date=8 October 2013 |url-status = dead}}</ref>

In 2015, the BOC gained entry to the [[London Bullion Market Association]] gold price auction. At the time, it was one of eight members to the auction.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/11679496/Bank-of-China-becomes-first-Asian-firm-to-help-set-Londons-gold-price.html |title=Bank of China becomes first Asian firm to help set London's gold price |publisher=Telegraph |date=16 June 2015 |access-date=28 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328201340/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/11679496/Bank-of-China-becomes-first-Asian-firm-to-help-set-Londons-gold-price.html |archive-date=28 March 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> That same year, the BOC opened two global commodity centres in Singapore, becoming the first Chinese bank to do so outside China.<ref>{{cite news |author=Chong Koh Ping |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/business/bank-of-china-opens-commodity-centres |title=Bank of China opens commodity centres, Business News & Top Stories |newspaper=[[The Straits Times]] |date=7 November 2015 |access-date=28 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328202612/http://www.straitstimes.com/business/bank-of-china-opens-commodity-centres |archive-date=28 March 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Between 2015 and 2020, the BOC lent over US$185.1 for [[Belt and Road Initiative]] projects.<ref name=":Chen">{{Cite book |last=Chen |first=Muyang |title=The Latecomer's Rise: Policy Banks and the Globalization of China's Development Finance |date=2024 |publisher=[[Cornell University Press]] |isbn=9781501775857 |location=Ithaca and London |jstor=10.7591/jj.6230186}}</ref>{{Rp|page=143}}

In 2016, the BOC received permission to open a branch in Brunei,<ref>''[[Financial Times]]'', Thursday 21 April 2016, p. 17.</ref> and opened a branch in Mauritius becoming the first Chinese-funded bank in Mauritius.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bankofchina.com/mu/en/aboutus/ab1/201703/t20170315_9103682.html |title=Bank of China (Mauritius), Ltd. |access-date=7 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906090052/http://www.bankofchina.com/mu/en/aboutus/ab1/201703/t20170315_9103682.html |archive-date=6 September 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, it received permission to operate a deposit bank in [[Turkey]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/bank-of-china-to-establish-deposit-bank-in-turkey--------.aspx?pageID=238&nID=108540&NewsCatID=345 |title=Bank of China to establish deposit bank in Turkey - BUSINESS |website=Hurriyetdailynews.com |date=13 September 2011 |access-date=28 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328195836/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/bank-of-china-to-establish-deposit-bank-in-turkey--------.aspx?pageID=238&nID=108540&NewsCatID=345 |archive-date=28 March 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> and in October 2017, opened its first branch in Pakistan in Karachi.

The BoC is the most globally-active of China's banks, with branches on every inhabited continent. As of 2017, BOC operated outside of [[mainland China]] in 27 countries and areas including Australia, [[Bank of China#Canada|Canada]], United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, [[Luxembourg]], Russia, Hungary, United States, [[Panama]], Brazil, Japan, [[Republic of Korea]], [[Singapore]], [[Taiwan]], [[Philippines]], [[Vietnam]], [[Malaysia]], [[Thailand]], [[Indonesia]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Bahrain]], [[Zambia]], [[South Africa]], and a branch office in the [[Cayman Islands]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boc.cn/en/common/third.jsp?category=ROOTenInformation%20CenterBOC%20NetworkOverseas%20Branches&pages=1 |title=中国银行全球门户网站-提示信息 |website=Boc.cn |access-date=28 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328200523/http://www.boc.cn/en/common/third.jsp?category=ROOTenInformation%20CenterBOC%20NetworkOverseas%20Branches&pages=1 |archive-date=28 March 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Even so, its operations outside China accounted for less than 4% of the activity of the bank by both profits and assets.

In 2019, the Bank set up its current think-tank body, the Bank of China Research Institute.<ref name=":023" />

===2020s===
In 2022, the BoC was ranked #42 among global institutions by ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' magazine.<ref name=biod1>{{Cite web|lang=en|url=https://fortune.com/company/bank-of-china/global500/|title=Global 500: Bank of China Rank 42 |website=Fortune|access-date=2024-02-07|archive-date=2023-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411104111/https://fortune.com/company/bank-of-china/global500/}}</ref>

In August 2023, ''[[Reuters]]'' reported BoC launched a countrywide exercise to reduce the salary gaps among its employees and mid- and high-level managers in line of the [[common prosperity]] agenda promoted by Chinese leader [[Xi Jinping]]. The story said the BoC launched a "salary management system reform plan" after an inspection team by the [[Central Commission for Discipline Inspection]] found out that the bank's salary system had issues regarding "wealth inequality" after investigations. Under the plan, employees below the mid-level manager level would have their salary raised by about 10% to 15%, while the salaries of higher-level managers would be reduced at a similar range.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 August 2023 |title=Bank of China starts nationwide move to reduce salary gap among employees, manager levels -sources |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/bank-china-starts-nationwide-move-reduce-salary-gap-among-employees-manager-2023-08-14/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107081333/https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/bank-china-starts-nationwide-move-reduce-salary-gap-among-employees-manager-2023-08-14/ |archive-date=7 November 2023 |access-date=2025-02-01 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref>

As of January 2024, the BoC planned to sell a new category of total loss-absorbing capacity (TLAC) bonds worth 150 billion [[Yuan_(currency)|yuan]] ($21 billion). This would make it the first state-owned bank in the country to fill the funding gap by 2025.<ref name=scmp1>{{Cite web|lang=en|url=https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3250128/bank-china-plans-us21-billion-bond-sales-comply-global-capital-requirements|title=Bank of China plans US$21 billion bond sales to comply with global capital requirements|website=South China Morning Post|date=29 January 2024 |access-date=2024-02-07|archive-date=2024-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202074614/https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3250128/bank-china-plans-us21-billion-bond-sales-comply-global-capital-requirements}}</ref>

In June 2024, the BoC complied with global financial sanctions against the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], and would no longer trade with sanctioned Russian banks. At the time, trade between Russia and China accounted for more than a third of all Russian exports.<ref name="mt1">{{cite news |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/06/24/bank-of-china-halts-payments-with-sanctioned-russian-lenders-kommersant-a85503 |title=Bank of China Halts Payments with Sanctioned Russian Lenders – Kommersant |date=24 June 2024 }}</ref><ref name="fyc1">{{cite news |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russian-subsidiary-bank-china-stops-093523761.html |title=Russian subsidiary of Bank of China stops accepting payments from Russian banks, sources say |date=24 June 2024 }}</ref>

<gallery>
File:BOC International (China) Limited 342.JPG|Bank of China in [[Shenyang]]
File:Dairen specie.bank.jpg|Bank of China in [[Dalian]], former building of the [[Yokohama Specie Bank]]
File:20150301-天津横滨正金银行大楼.jpg|Bank of China in [[Tianjin]], formerly Yokohama Specie Bank
File:20180908 Bank of China Building.jpg|Bank of China in [[Zhengzhou]]
File:20210902 Bank of China Kaifeng Branch.jpg|Bank of China in [[Kaifeng]]
File:20221208 Bank of China Shangqiu Branch.jpg|Bank of China in [[Shangqiu]]
File:Bank of China Tower, Wuxi.jpg|Bank of China in [[Wuxi]]
File:南京新街口2018 02.jpg|Bank of China in [[Nanjing]] (right), former building of [[National Commercial Bank (China)|National Commercial Bank]]
File:Bank of China Tower II.jpg|Bank of China Tower in [[Pudong]], [[Shanghai]]
File:Bank of China Centre (deep blue sky).jpg|Bank of China Centre, [[Hong Kong]]
File:Bank of China Building, Macau.jpg|Bank of China tower in [[Macau]]
File:BankofChina Singapore.jpg|Old Building of the Bank of China building in [[Singapore]]
File:Maybank Tower, Bank Of China and 6 Battery Road.JPG|Bank of China Tower in Singapore, adjacent to the Old Building
File:Bank of China - panoramio (1).jpg|Bank of China Tower in [[Kuala Lumpur]]
File:Bank of China Tokyo.jpg|Branch in [[Tokyo]]
File:Bank of China Luxembourg.jpg|Bank of China in [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]]
File:Röszler–Muráti-ház, 2019 Lipótváros.jpg|Bank of China in [[Budapest]]
File:Bank of China, Lothbury, London EC2R 7DB.jpg|Bank of China building on [[Lothbury]], [[London]]
File:Bank of China New York by David Shankbone.jpg|410 Madison Ave, [[New York City]]
File:Bank of China (Canada) Branch.jpg|A branch in [[Chinatown, Toronto]]
</gallery>

==Major subsidiaries==

===Hong Kong===
[[File:HK Bank of China Tower View.jpg|thumb|[[Bank of China Tower (Hong Kong)|Bank of China Tower]] in Hong Kong, completed in 1991]]
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2013}}
{{Main|Bank of China (Hong Kong)}}

BOC started operations in [[Hong Kong]] in 1917.{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}} It became [[Hong Kong]]'s third note-issuing bank in 1994, and in [[Macau]] in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bochk.com/en/aboutus/corpprofile/banknotes.html|title=Issuance of Hong Kong Banknotes {{!}} About us {{!}} BOCHK|website=www.bochk.com|language=en|access-date=10 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424200046/https://www.bochk.com/en/aboutus/corpprofile/banknotes.html|archive-date=24 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2001, BOC regrouped its [[Hong Kong]] operations into [[Bank of China (Hong Kong)]]; then BOCHK listed on the [[Hong Kong Stock Exchange]] in October 2002. Two-thirds of its share capital are in [[free float]]. The bank's headquarters in Hong Kong are located in the [[Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong|Bank of China Tower]], designed by the renowned architect [[I.M. Pei]], and was opened to the public in 1990 as the tallest building in Hong Kong at that time.{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}}

It listed on the [[Hong Kong Stock Exchange]] (independently from BOCHK) (SEHK:3988) by floating the largest [[initial public offering]] (IPO) in the world by any institution since 2000 on 1 June 2006, raising US$9.7&nbsp;billion. The IPO attracted HK$286&nbsp;billion (US$36.7&nbsp;billion) in retail orders and was the most heavily oversubscribed in the history of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The offer was around 76 times oversubscribed. Although some financial analysts advised caution due to the worrying amounts of non-performing loans, this hardly deterred investors. The IPO share price started at HK$2.95 per share and jumped 15% (to HK$3.40) after the first day of trading.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

In 2008, the Bank of China was crowned Deal of the Year - Debt Market Deal of the Year at the 2008 ALB Hong Kong Law Awards.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

===Canada===

{{Infobox company
| name = Bank of China (Canada)
| logo = 
| image = BankofChinaMarkham2.JPG
| image_size = 150px
| image_caption = Bank of China (Canada) headquarters
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| industry = [[Bank]]
| predecessor = Bank of China Toronto Representative Office
| founded = 18 May 1993<ref name="About us" />
| founder = 
| defunct = 
| hq_location_city = 50 Minthorn Boulevard<br/>[[Markham, Ontario|Markham]], [[Ontario]]
| hq_location_country = [[Canada]]
| areas_served = {{ubl|[[Ontario]]|[[British Columbia]]|[[Alberta]]}}
| parent = Bank of China
| website = {{URL|www.bankofchina.com/ca}}
}}

Bank of China (Canada), commonly known as BOCC, is the Canadian subsidiary of the Bank of China (BOC). The Bank of China began its business in Canada by opening a [[representative office]] in Toronto on 8 September 1992. BOCC was incorporated as a subsidiary of BOC in 1993 under [[Banking in Canada#Regulation|Schedule II]] of the [[Bank Act (Canada)|Bank Act]].<ref name="About us">{{cite web|title=Overview|url=http://www.bankofchina.com/ca/en/aboutus/ab1/201402/t20140224_3123901.html|website=About Us|publisher=Bank of China (Canada)|access-date=23 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824013246/http://www.bankofchina.com/ca/en/aboutus/ab1/201402/t20140224_3123901.html|archive-date=24 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> BOCC provides the following types of [[banking services]] in [[Canada]]:  [[bank account]]s to both [[Personal banking|personal]] and [[Commercial Banking|commercial]] banking clients, [[remittance]] services (including [[bank draft]]s and [[wire transfer]]s), [[loan]]s and [[Mortgage loan|mortgages]], [[foreign exchange company|foreign exchange services]], and [[China]] [[Travel Visa|visa]] application assistance services where by it acts as agent, however plans for a China Visa Application Centre are being made and it is anticipated that the  Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Toronto will entrust all future China Visa applications to Bank of China Canada's Visa Application Centre.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

In [[Canada]], BOCC has ten locations located in [[Markham, Ontario|Markham]], [[Toronto]] (several branches, in downtown, North York and Scarborough], [[Mississauga]], [[Vancouver]], [[Montreal]], and [[Calgary]]. It previously had branches in Burnaby and Richmond. As well, the bank is a member of the [[Canadian Bankers Association]] (CBA); registered member with the [[Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation]] (CDIC), a federal agency insuring deposits at all of Canada's chartered banks; and, a member of [[Interac]], which handles transactions between automated teller machines of different banks and debit card transactions.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

==Banknotes==

Although it is not a central bank, the Bank of China is licensed to issue banknotes in two of China's [[Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China|Special Administrative Regions]]. Until 1942, the Bank of China issued banknotes in mainland China on behalf of the Government of the Republic of China. Today, the Bank issues [[Banknotes of the Hong Kong dollar|banknotes in Hong Kong]] and [[Macanese pataca|banknotes in Macau]] (under the [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] name ''"Banco da China, Sucursal de Macau"''), along with other commercial banks in those regions.

==Ownership==

As of 30 September 2015, largest shareholders of the Bank of China [[ordinary shares]] (both [[A-share (mainland China)|A shares]] and [[H share]]s) were:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boc.cn/en/investor/ir4/201501/t20150114_4462767.html|title=Ordinary Shares|publisher=Bank of China|access-date=11 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311130958/http://www.boc.cn/en/investor/ir4/201501/t20150114_4462767.html|archive-date=11 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[China Central Huijin]] (an investment arm of the government of the [[People's Republic of China]]): 64.63% (A shares)
* [[Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing|HKSCC Nominees Limited]] ([[nominee account]]): 27.78% (H shares)
* [[China Securities Finance]] (state-owned legal person): 2.90% (A shares)

As of 30 September 2015, largest shareholders of the Bank of China [[preference shares]] (both domestic and offshore) were:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boc.cn/en/investor/ir4/201501/t20150114_4462474.html|title=Preference Shares|publisher=Bank of China|access-date=11 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311133540/http://www.boc.cn/en/investor/ir4/201501/t20150114_4462474.html|archive-date=11 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[The Bank of New York Mellon]] ([[custodian bank]]): 39.96% (offshore)
* [[China Mobile Communications]]: 18.01% (domestic)
* [[China National Tobacco Corporation]]: 5.00% (domestic)
* [[Zhongwei Real Estate]]: 3.00% (domestic)

== Leadership ==

* {{ill|Wu Dingchang|zh|吳鼎昌}}, administrator February - December 1912
* {{ill|Sun Duosen|zh|孫多森}}, president December 1912 - June 1913
* [[Xiong Xiling]], president 1913 - 1916{{cn|date=May 2024}}
* Xu Enyuan (徐恩元), president June 1916 - June 1917
* Sun Duosen, president in absentia June - July 1917
* {{ill|Li Sihao|zh|李思浩}}, president June - July 1917
* [[Wang Kemin]], president July 1917 - February 1918
* {{ill|Feng Gengguang|zh|馮耿光}}, president February 1918 - June 1922
* Wang Kemin, president June 1922 - October 1923
* {{ill|Jin Huan|zh|金還}}, president October 1923 - November 1928
* Feng Gengguang, acting president 1926 - November 1928
* Li Fusun (李馥蓀), chairman November 1928 - April 1935
* [[Chang Kia-ngau]], general manager November 1928 - April 1935
* [[T. V. Soong]], chairman April 1935 - February 1944
* [[H. H. Kung]], chairman February 1944 - 1948
* {{ill|Song Hanzhang|zh|宋漢章}}, general manager 1935 - 1948 and managing director 1948 - 1949
* {{ill|Xi Demao|zh|席德懋}}, general manager 1948 - 1949
* [[Nan Hanchen]], chairman after 1949
* [[Gong Yinbing]], general manager 1949 - 1973
* {{ill|Bu Ming|zh|卜明}}, president June 1979 - April 1982, then chairman
* {{ill|Chang Yanqing|zh|常彥卿}}, acting president and acting chairman in the early 1980s
* {{ill|Jin Deqin|zh|金德琴}}, president April 1982 - February 1985
* {{ill|Wang Deyan|zh|王德衍}}, president June 1985 - November 1993
* {{ill|Wang Xuebing|zh|王雪冰}}, president November 1993 - February 2000, also chairman from May 1995
* [[Liu Mingkang]], chairman February 2000 - March 2003
* [[Li Lihui]], president August 2004 - January 2014
* [[Chen Siqing]], president February 2014 - August 2017, then chairman August 2017 - April 2019<ref>{{Cite news|date=22 April 2019|title=MOVES-China picks BoC boss Chen Siqing to head top bank ICBC - sources|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/china-icbc-chairman-idUSL3N22411E|access-date=24 July 2020|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726134137/https://www.reuters.com/article/china-icbc-chairman-idUSL3N22411E|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Liu Lian'ge]], President June 2018 - June 2019, then chairman June 2019 - March 2023<ref>{{Cite web|date=23 September 2017|title=Liange Liu|url=https://live.worldbank.org/experts/liange-liu|access-date=8 May 2021|website=World Bank Live|language=en|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507124930/https://live.worldbank.org/experts/liange-liu|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Wang Jiang (banker)|Wang Jiang]], president December 2019 - February 2021
* [[Liu Jin (banker)|Liu Jin]], president April 2021 - August 2024

==Controversies==

===Guarantee scandal in Poland===

After [[COVEC]] withdrew from completing its construction of the [[A2 (Poland)|A2 highway]] in Poland, Bank of China was to pay a performance guarantee to the Polish government's road organization [[GDDKiA]]. However, with [[Export-Import Bank of China]], they refused to pay this; only [[Deutsche Bank]] honoured its obligations under the court decision.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://forsal.pl/artykuly/586356,covec_nie_zrazil_sie_porazka_na_a2_i_z_chinskimi_bankami_startuje_do_kozienic.html|title=COVEC nie zraził się porażką na A2 i z chińskimi bankami startuje do Kozienic|date=20 January 2012|access-date=28 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122024137/http://forsal.pl/artykuly/586356,covec_nie_zrazil_sie_porazka_na_a2_i_z_chinskimi_bankami_startuje_do_kozienic.html|archive-date=22 January 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Wultz v. Bank of China===

On 8 August 2008, the family of [[Death of Daniel Wultz|Daniel Wultz]], an American teenager killed in a 2006 terrorist attack in Israel, filed suit against the Bank of China in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The case was subsequently transferred to the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, where litigation continues. On 29 October 2012, the Honorable J. Scheindlin issued a ruling compelling Bank of China to provide discovery.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://law.duke.edu/sites/default/files/images/centers/judicialstudies/Wultz_v_Bank_of_China.pdf|title=Duke University Law School: Wultz v. Bank of China|date=29 October 2012|access-date=18 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092352/http://law.duke.edu/sites/default/files/images/centers/judicialstudies/Wultz_v_Bank_of_China.pdf|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name=foreignpolicy>{{cite web|last=Groll|first=Elias|url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/24/israel_considers_suppressing_terror_evidence_to_help_out_new_pal_china|title=Israel Accused of Suppressing Terror Evidence to Help Out New Pal China|work=Foreign Policy|location=Washington, D.C.|date=24 July 2013|access-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504230512/http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/24/israel_considers_suppressing_terror_evidence_to_help_out_new_pal_china|archive-date=4 May 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=litdaily>{{cite web |url=http://www.litigationdaily.com/id=1202716485453/Boies-Wins-Discovery-Fight-in-Bank-of-China-Terror-Funding-Case |title=Boies Wins Discovery Fight in Bank of China Terror Funding Case |publisher=Litigation Daily |date=29 January 2015 |access-date=8 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203022952/http://www.litigationdaily.com/id=1202716485453/Boies-Wins-Discovery-Fight-in-Bank-of-China-Terror-Funding-Case |archive-date=3 February 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Alleged money transfers to Hamas===

In 2012, the families of eight terror victims of the 2008 [[Mercaz HaRav massacre]] in Jerusalem filed a {{Nowrap|$1 billion}} lawsuit against the Bank of China. The suit asserted that in 2003 the bank's New York branch wired millions of dollars to [[Hamas]] from its leadership in [[Syria]] and [[Iran]]. The Bank of China subsequently denied providing banking services to terrorist groups: "The Bank of China has always strictly followed the UN's anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing requirements and regulations in China and other judicial areas where we operate."<ref>{{cite news|last=Zhu|first=Grace|title=Bank of China Says It Hasn't Helped Hamas|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203897404578078153674108498|access-date=23 February 2013|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=25 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222115002/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203897404578078153674108498|archive-date=22 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bank of China denies channelling funds to Hamas|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hLTVqUyNqb_zHSUpFPkxO6g8_sOg?docId=CNG.f01909526b334a26a3a3457f30ee9490.861|access-date=23 February 2013|newspaper=[[Google News]]|date=25 October 2012|agency=[[Agence France-Presse|AFP]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130716173521/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hLTVqUyNqb_zHSUpFPkxO6g8_sOg?docId=CNG.f01909526b334a26a3a3457f30ee9490.861|archive-date=16 July 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Israelis sue Chinese Bank for aiding Hamas|url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/10/24/Israelis-sue-Chinese-Bank-for-aiding-Hamas/UPI-53271351083073/|access-date=23 February 2013|newspaper=[[United Press International|UPI]]|date=24 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025191438/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/10/24/Israelis-sue-Chinese-Bank-for-aiding-Hamas/UPI-53271351083073/|archive-date=25 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==

{{Portal|Banks|China|Taiwan|Companies}}
* [[List of largest banks]]
* [[List of asset management companies of the People's Republic of China]]
* [[Foreign exchange reserves of the People's Republic of China]]
* [[BOC Aviation]] – Singapore-based aircraft leasing company owned by BOC

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Resources==

* Bank of China, ''[https://books.google.co.in/books/about/A_History_of_the_Bank_of_China_1912_1949.html?id=zmLz0AEACAAJ&redir_esc=y A History of the Bank of China, 1912–1949]'', Beijing: 1999.

==External links==
* {{Finance links
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*{{in lang|en}} {{Official website|www.boc.cn/en/index.html}}

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