China's inclusive loans to small firms rise 8 pct

 China's inclusive loans to small and micro enterprises maintained steady growth in the second quarter, official data showed Friday.

Outstanding inclusive loans to small and micro enterprises reached 38.9 trillion yuan (about 5.73 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of the second quarter, up 8 percent year on year, according to the National Financial Regulatory Administration.

Outstanding inclusive loans related to agriculture stood at 15 trillion yuan, up 7.5 percent year on year.

Friday's data also showed China's banking institutions held 498 trillion yuan in renminbi and foreign-currency assets, up 6.6 percent year on year, while the total assets of insurance companies and insurance asset management companies reached 43.9 trillion yuan, up 6.2 percent from the beginning of the year.

Commercial banks maintained strong risk buffers, with their provision coverage ratio standing at 202.87 percent at the end of the second quarter. The capital adequacy ratio of commercial banks, excluding branches of foreign banks, stood at 15.26 percent. ■