China's yuan loans grow 8.59 trillion yuan in first four months

This file photo shows the People's Bank of China in Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's yuan-denominated loans rose 8.59 trillion yuan (about 1.26 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first four months of 2026, central bank data showed on Thursday.

At the end of April, outstanding yuan loans stood at 280.5 trillion yuan, up 5.6 percent year on year, according to the People's Bank of China.

The M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, had increased by 8.6 percent year on year to 353.04 trillion yuan by the end of last month.

The M1, which covers cash in circulation, demand deposits and client reserves of non-bank payment institutions, reached 114.58 trillion yuan at the end of April, up 5 percent from the same period of last year.

Thursday's data also revealed that the outstanding aggregate financing to the real economy stood at 456.89 trillion yuan at the end of last month, growing 7.8 percent year on year.

Aggregate financing to the real economy was 15.45 trillion yuan in the January-April period, 893 billion yuan less than in the same period last year.

Yuan deposits rose by 14 trillion yuan during the period, with outstanding yuan deposits increasing 8.9 percent year on year to 342.68 trillion yuan by the end of April, and outstanding foreign currency deposits rising 19.9 percent year on year.

China will continue to apply an appropriately accommodative monetary policy in 2026, according to this year's government work report.