Economic prosperity relies heavily on the extensive participation of financial institutions such as banks. However, with profound transformations in the economic and financial landscape, driven by narrowing interest rate spreads, shifts in profit sources, and workforce reductions, competition within the banking sector has intensified. As the frontline platform for marketing financial products, delivering services, identifying potential clients, and showcasing corporate image, bank branches play a fundamental role in operational activities. Consequently, branch network planning and layout have become critical components of banking strategies, where the operational environment, resource allocation efficiency, and local resource accessibility serve as key indicators of bank competitiveness.
The acquisition of a financial license (金融许可证) is a prerequisite for establishing bank branches, referring to the legal document issued by the China Banking Regulatory Commission (later restructured as the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, CBIRC) to authorize financial institutions to operate under regulatory compliance. The issuance, renewal, suspension, or revocation of financial licenses fall exclusively under the CBIRC's jurisdiction, with no other entities permitted to exercise these powers. While financial licenses apply to all CBIRC-regulated financial institutions, this database specifically focuses on bank branch information.
The distribution data of Chinese bank branches is organized into three tables based on financial license status:
- China Bank Branch Distribution Information Table
- China Bank Branch Out-of-Control Information Table
- China Bank Branch Exit Information Table
This database encompasses comprehensive distribution details of all Chinese bank branches, including fields such as Regulatory Bureau (机构所在分局), Institution Name (机构名称), Location (机构所在地), Issuing Authority (发证机关), and Issuance Date (发证日期), with ongoing updates to ensure data currency.
Time Coverage
The dataset covers all financial license information prior to June 2024
Data Scale
Field Description
Sample Data
China Bank Branch Distribution Information Table
China Bank Branch Exit Information Table
China Bank Branch Out-of-Control Information Table
Relevant Literature
- Luo, Z., & Qi, B. (2021). "Environmental Regulation's Industrial Transfer Effect and Banking Synergy: Evidence from Yangtze River Water Pollution Governance." Economic Research, 2.
- Cai, Q., Chen, Y., & Lin, K. (2020). "Credit Accessibility and Corporate Innovation: Catalyst or Inhibitor? Micro-Evidence from Bank Branch Data and Financial Geography." Economic Research, 10.
- Huang, M., Yu, Y., Yao, J., et al. (2023). "Impact of Technological and Human Network Structures on Bank Performance: A Spatial Competition Analysis of Bank Branches." Journal of Management Science, 5.
Update Frequency
Annual updates