Employees steal $13.9m from Chinese banks, regulator reveals
Three Chinese bank branches have been robbed by employees of Rmb115m ($13.9m) in the latest of a string of large-scale insider thefts that underline con cerns about mainland banks' ability to manage and track their funds.
News of the theft at three branches in Inner Mongolia follows the resignation last week of Zhang Enzhao as head of China Construction Bank (CCB), the country's second-largest lender, follow ing accusations that he took a $1m bribe.
The theft was disclosed yesterday on the website of the China Banking Regula tory Commission, which said it had uncovered 98 cases of fraud at the branches over a 12-month period from mid- 2003.
The CBRC's disclosure rep resents a new level of trans parency. Previous thefts have mostly been revealed in sketchy media reports.
Three people are facing criminal charges arising from the investigation into two branches of the Agricul ture Bank and one nearby rural credit co-operative,and another 43 have been “punished”.
The CBRC, with the back ing of the central govern ment, has ambitious plans to reform the banking sector, including overseas listings, and may feel that greater transparency is needed to build confidence among for eign investors.
Both CCB and the Bank of China are trying to sell stra tegic stakes to foreign part ners before initial public offerings later this year.
The authorities have attempted to keep CCB's $5bn-$10bn overseas IPO on track by swiftly replacing Mr Zhang with Guo Shuqing, formerly the head of the State Administration of For eign Exchange, which regu lates capital flows in and out of the country. Mr Guo will be replaced as head of the foreign exchange body by Hu Xiaolian, an official with the central bank.
In another sign of the determination to push ahead with bank reform, China Minsheng Bank, the coun try's pioneering private lender, has been approved to list in Hong Kong, possibly as early as April. Minsheng had warned in November that its IPO could be delayed by up to a year.
If the long-awaited listing proceeds, it will be the first Chinese bank IPO overseas. Bank of Communications, China's fifth-largest lender, is also due to list in Hong Kong in the first half of this year.
中国银监会披露巨额银行盗窃案
中国国内银行的三家分支机构被员工偷盗1.15亿元人民币(合1390万美元)，这是一连串大规模内部偷窃案件中的最新事件，突出表明大陆各银行在管理和追踪资金能力上令人忧虑的现状。
三家发生盗窃案件的银行分支机构位于内蒙古自治区。此前张恩照上周辞去了中国建设银行(China Construction Bank)负责人的职务，他被控收受100万美元贿赂。建设银行是中国第二大商业银行。
中国银监会(CBRC)昨日在其网站上披露了上述窃案。银监会表示，在始于2003年年中的一年时间内，查明资金欺诈累计98起。
银监会此次信息披露的动作表明，中国银行业的透明度达到了新的水平。此前的银行偷盗案件多数是用含糊的媒体报道予以披露。
对中国农业银行(Agriculture Bank)的两个支行及附近一家农村信用合作社的调查，导致3人被移送司法机关，另有43人受到“处理”。
在中央政府的支持下，中国银监会制定了雄心勃勃的银行业改革计划，其中包括银行在海外上市。银监会或许觉得，要在海外投资界建立信心，就需要更高的透明度。
建行和中国银行(Bank of China)今年晚些时候将进行首次公开发行，它们都试图在此之前向外国合作伙伴出售战略性股份。
中国政府迅速让国家外汇管理局(State Administration of Foreign Exchange)前局长郭树清接替张恩照出任建行董事长，以努力让建行50亿至100亿美元的海外上市计划继续进行。国家外汇管理局负责监管进出中国的资本流动，郭先生外汇管理局局长一职将由央行官员胡晓炼接替。
中国政府推进银行改革决心的另一个迹象是，中国民生银行(China Minsheng Bank)已获准在香港上市，最早可能在今年4月进行。民生银行是中国私营银行的先行者，它去年11月警告说，首次公开上市可能会推迟长达一年时间。
如果这一备受期待的上市行动得以实施，它将是中国银行在海外的首个公开上市。中国第五大银行交通银行(Bank of Communications)也定于今年上半年在香港上市。
