China to expand financial support to boost consumption

BEIJING - The central bank and the banking regulator on Wednesday issued guidelines outlining measures that could spur consumption in promising fields such as health care.

Financial institutions were encouraged to set up more "consumer finance" firms, which lend money to consumers, according to the guidelines by the People's Bank of China and China Banking Regulatory Commission.

China first began to offer consumers credit in 2010 with a pilot program involving four financial agencies, including Bank of China Consumer Finance Co Ltd and Bank of Beijing Consumer Finance Co Ltd.

Consumer credit firms were encouraged to offer more services for fields including health care, information and green consumption.

Financial institutions were given the authority to set their own down payment requirements for consumers wanting to buy new energy autos and second-hand cars, as long as the deposits met the minimum payment rates of 15 and 30 percent.

The guidelines also urged financial institutions to formulate new mechanisms to guard against risks in the dynamic credit market, such as defaulting debtors.