ShanghaiMay 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In 2025, the world economy pressed forward under pressure amid a paradigm shift. China’s economy anchored its high-quality development主线 with resilience and stability. The financial industry faced new opportunities and challenges amid the wave of high-level opening-up and digital transformation. As a wholly foreign-owned bank established by the Philippines’ Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company (Metrobank Group), Metrobank (China) anchored its 2025 annual theme of “Risk Prevention First, Steadfastness Leads to Extraordinariness.” It broke through in the midst of change, advanced through integration, and delivered a high-quality report card featuring resilient performance growth, strategic breakthroughs, comprehensive brand elevation, and solid social responsibility fulfillment. Not only did it achieve a milestone leap in deep localization, but it also leveraged its full license upgrade, core advantages in cross-border finance, robust risk control foundation, and public welfare commitments to become a benchmark foreign bank connecting China with Southeast Asian markets and bridging domestic and international capital and development opportunities.
In April 2025, Metrobank (China) achieved a landmark breakthrough in its development journey—it was approved to conduct RMB business for domestic residents, successfully joining the ranks of the few foreign banks in China with a full license. This breakthrough was far more than a simple expansion of business scope; it represented a profound transformation for the bank from being a participant in China’s financial market since its opening in 2010 to becoming a core member fully integrated into the local financial ecosystem, serving all types of market entities. This injected core momentum into Metrobank (China)’s efforts to connect the domestic and international dual circulation and drive both corporate and retail businesses. Leveraging the development space brought by the license upgrade, Metrobank (China) rapidly improved its retail financial layout. In October last year, it launched two structured deposit products, “Huitong Deposit” and “Huiying Deposit,” building a wealth management product matrix tailored to the needs of local residents and successfully achieving a breakthrough from 0 to 1 in its retail business. At the same time, Metrobank (China) continued to optimize its national strategic layout. The Changzhou branch relocated to a new site, and the Shanghai branch underwent a renovation and upgrade. These two outlets took root in the core Yangtze River Delta region with new service formats, further strengthening a service network “centered on the Yangtze River Delta and radiating nationwide,” achieving synchronized growth with the regional economy.
Against the backdrop of sustained pressure on industry interest margins and heightened market uncertainty, Metrobank (China) adhered to its operational philosophy of “Risk-Based, Compliance-First,” achieving coordinated improvements in scale, efficiency, and quality, with its operational resilience continuing to stand out. As of the end of 2025, Metrobank (China)’s total assets reached 23.333 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 14%; deposit scale hit a record high of 15.088 billion yuan, up 8% year-on-year; loan balance stood at 10.168 billion yuan, up 7% year-on-year, with credit resources precisely directed towards key areas of the real economy, achieving simultaneous optimization of asset size and liability structure. In terms of operational efficiency, Metrobank (China) achieved total operating revenue of 349 million yuan for the year, a year-on-year increase of 10%; net profit was 65.29 million yuan, up 4% year-on-year, maintaining steady profit growth in a complex market environment. Asset quality, as the lifeline of a bank’s stable operation, saw Metrobank (China)’s non-performing loan ratio further reduced to a low industry level of 0.16% in 2025. The loan provision ratio increased to 2.23%, and the provision coverage ratio reached a high of 1386.22%, far exceeding regulatory requirements, demonstrating solid and sufficient risk resilience. Thanks to its stable operational performance and strict risk control system, Metrobank (China) has maintained an AA+ domestic long-term entity credit rating from Lianhe Credit Rating for six consecutive years, and Moody’s maintained its Baa2 long-term rating for domestic and foreign currency deposits, both with a stable outlook, fully demonstrating high market recognition.
Focusing on its long-term development vision, Metrobank (China) concentrated on five core directions in 2025: strengthening risk control, customer orientation, cross-border empowerment, digital transformation, and green finance practice, continuously forging differentiated competitive advantages. Metrobank (China) built a comprehensive risk management system covering credit, market, liquidity, operational, and compliance dimensions, strictly implemented regulatory requirements, and regularly conducted stress tests and emergency drills. No major operational risk events or cases occurred throughout the year, safeguarding long-term development with stable risk control. Always adhering to “Customer First,” it integrated diverse products such as credit, transaction banking, and wealth management to create one-stop comprehensive financial solutions, using digital means to improve service efficiency and customer experience, achieving a deep transformation from “product sales” to “value services.” Leveraging the global network advantages of the Philippine parent group, it deepened financial linkages between China and the Philippines, as well as China and Southeast Asia in trade and economy, providing full-chain financial services for cross-border trade and investment by Chinese and foreign enterprises. Annual foreign exchange and derivatives trading volume increased significantly by 87% year-on-year, and trade finance business volume reached 5.337 billion yuan, making it an important cross-border financial hub serving China’s high-level opening-up. Closely aligning with the “dual carbon” goals, it fully integrated environmental and social risks into the entire credit process, increased financial support for green industries such as clean energy and energy conservation and environmental protection, and contributed to the low-carbon transformation of the economy and society through responsible finance. At the same time, guided by the “three integrations” principle, it built an enterprise-level data middle platform and launched multiple digital systems, empowering operational efficiency, risk control, and product innovation with fintech, continuously solidifying its digital development foundation.
In 2025, Metrobank (China) launched the “First初心•Renewal Journey” brand elevation project, achieving a comprehensive leap in brand image from functional expression to value resonance. This brand renewal covered three dimensions: physical space, visual identity, and service image. Core outlets underwent smart and humanized upgrades, with simultaneous updates to brand visual identity and bank uniforms, transforming the “customer-centric” philosophy into a tangible brand experience. Throughout the year, Metrobank (China)’s brand influence and reputation achieved dual improvement. The “Little Banker” financial literacy program in schools won the 2025 Excellent Case in Financial Consumer Education and Publicity, and the annual brand promotional video was awarded the 2025 Jinnuo • Annual Brand Promotional Video title. Through diverse communication formats, it continuously shaped a foreign bank brand image characterized by “good service, high efficiency, and excellent reputation.”
The year 2025 coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines. Metrobank (China) used public welfare as a bridge, deeply integrating corporate social responsibility with Sino-Philippine cultural exchange, and persistently practicing its development初心 of “giving back to society.” Centered on the “George Ty – Metrobank” Rural Children’s Growth Project, Metrobank (China) built a distinctive public welfare system. It held the fourth Rural Children’s Public Welfare Painting Competition, using art as a medium to convey Sino-Philippine friendship; launched the “Minnan Sea Youth Π Plan” Xiamen study tour activity to broaden the growth horizons of rural students; and continued to deepen the “Little Banker” financial literacy program. From the three dimensions of aesthetic education, vision, and knowledge, it empowered the growth of rural children, becoming a distinctive model for foreign banks fulfilling social responsibilities. At the same time, Metrobank (China) continuously improved its consumer rights protection system, fully integrating consumer rights protection into all business processes, effectively safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of financial consumers.
Standing at a new starting point for development, Metrobank (China) will anchor its development theme of “Building a Full-Service Platform, Leading a New Era of Excellence.” It will adhere to long-termism to maintain development certainty, persistently uphold the bottom line of risk and compliance, focus on the growth momentum of retail and corporate businesses, strengthen the distinctive layout of cross-border finance, and consolidate the sustainable development foundation of green finance and digital transformation. In the future, Metrobank (China) will continue to leverage its unique advantages of Asian heritage, cross-border network, and deep local cultivation. It will act as a hub for interconnection under the new pattern of globalization, facilitate the flow of trade and capital between China and Southeast Asia, use finance as a bridge to deeply cultivate the Chinese market, connect Chinese and foreign opportunities, and embark on a journey of steady and long-term development together with customers, partners, and society.