Founded in 1994, China Development Bank (CDB) is a policy financial institution under the direct leadership of the State Council of China. In December 2008, CDB underwent a structural reform and was renamed China Development Bank Corporation Limited. In March 2015, the State Council positioned it as a development finance institution. In April 2017, CDB adopted its current name, China Development Bank, and changed from a joint-stock company to a limited liability company.
CDB has 421.248 billion RMB in registered capital. Its shareholders are the Ministry of Finance of China, Central Huijin Investment Ltd., Buttonwood Investment Holding Company Ltd., and the National Council for Social Security Fund, which respectively hold 36.54%, 34.68%, 27.19%, and 1.59% of CDB’s total shares.
CDB is mainly engaged in medium and long-term lending and investment to support the implementation of major strategies for medium and long-term development of China’s national economy. As of the end of 2018, CDB reported 16.2 trillion RMB in total assets, 11.68 trillion RMB in outstanding loans, and 112.1 billion RMB in net profit; its return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and capital adequacy ratio (CAR) had respectively reached 0.70%, 8.82%, and 11.81%; and its sustainability and risk tolerance had been further strengthened. Professional rating agencies including Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s have retained CDB’s rating at the same level as China’s sovereign rating for many consecutive years.
CDB is the largest development finance institution in the world and China’s largest bank specialized in medium and long-term lending and bond issuance.
CDB has 37 first-tier branches and four second-tier branches on the Chinese mainland. It also operates a branch in Hong Kong and has opened a total of 10 representative offices in foreign cities including Cairo, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Caracas, London, Vientiane, Nur-Sultan (Astana), Minsk, Jakarta, and Sydney. CDB has more than 9,000 employees in total and is the parent company of CDB Capital, CDB Securities, CDB Leasing, the China-Africa Development Fund, and CDB Development Fund.