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

AI Inquiry · How can personnel adjustments strengthen risk management under a asset scale of 10 trillion?

Produced by | China Visit Network

Reviewed by | Li Xiaoyan

CITIC Bank, entering the “10 trillion yuan 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 revealed that Zhao Yuanxin, General Manager of the Credit Execution Department, was promoted to the bank’s Party Committee member. According to industry practice, after regulatory and corporate governance procedures are completed, he is expected to be appointed Vice President. This personnel adjustment is a key move in building the management team after the bank reached the 10 trillion mark, demonstrating the maturity of its talent development system and injecting new momentum into strategic implementation and risk control across the bank.

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 Shanghai Branch President. As of June 2025, the branch’s assets reached 619.609 billion yuan, ranking third among the bank’s branches, only behind Beijing and Hangzhou, serving as a core hub for CITIC’s Yangtze River Delta integration strategy. Notably, current Vice Presidents Hu Gang and He Jinsong previously served as Shanghai Branch Presidents, making this position a key talent pool for senior management, further recognizing Zhao Yuanxin’s 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 “business development and risk prevention” governance framework.

Since the second half of 2025, CITIC Bank’s mid-to-senior level personnel adjustments have been intensive and orderly: approvals for positions such as Vice President of the Credit Card Center, Zeng Yufang, and Xiamen Branch President Zhang Xuqing, have been granted. The management team continues to optimize through coordinated staffing across headquarters, branches, front-end, and middle-back office lines. 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 of 26 years, Lu Wei has made significant contributions in finance, capital replenishment, and internationalization. His smooth handover creates favorable conditions for the new management team to continue efforts. Currently, CITIC Bank’s senior team 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 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 strategic focus on “value banking,” deepening its real economy support, 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 intensified 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 risk management level. The loan loss reserve 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 adheres to the “five major articles” of finance, increasing support for the real economy, technological innovation, green development, and inclusive finance. The bank maintains balanced development across corporate, retail, and financial markets, forming a revenue structure of “4:4:2,” effectively hedging risks from single business fluctuations. Leveraging the comprehensive financial advantages of CITIC Group, 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 deepens, with fintech empowering process optimization and service efficiency, and a seamless online-offline service system continuously improving 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 volatility, which put 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.

From a management perspective, the president position is temporarily vacant, and some key middle-back office roles are yet to be filled. While daily operations are unaffected, in the long term, promptly appointing a formal president and completing senior management configuration will better support the bank’s 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 challenges that do not alter CITIC Bank’s long-term positive outlook. With a solid customer base, sound governance, strong group synergy, and ongoing transformation momentum, the bank is capable of optimizing asset structure, expanding non-interest income, strengthening cost control, and enhancing risk management to gradually resolve short-term pressures and achieve coordinated growth in scale, efficiency, and quality.

The addition of leaders like Zhao Yuanxin, combined with the new starting point of 10 trillion assets, marks a new development opportunity for CITIC Bank. Moving forward, as the new management team gradually takes office, the bank will continue to uphold its original intention of serving the real economy, deepen “value banking,” and focus on light capital transformation, digital empowerment, and integrated operations. Ongoing optimization of business structure and asset quality will be prioritized. In risk management, high-level executives with credit management and regional risk control experience, like Zhao Yuanxin, will further 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 the promotion channels of “grassroots training, regional deepening, headquarters empowerment,” cultivating a professional, young, and versatile management team to support long-term development.

Standing at the new starting point of 10 trillion, CITIC Bank is consolidating governance through orderly management iteration, navigating cycles with steady operation, and solving development challenges through reform and innovation. As a core member of the first echelon of joint-stock banks, the bank will continue to demonstrate 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.