How China’s private banks can survive and thrive

China’s private banks have all the hallmarks of being able to break the stranglehold of the state banking sector and to fill the void for lending to small businesses but major challenges lie ahead, panellists at this year’s Boao Forum in Hainan said last Wednesday.

“It is the best time ever to set up private banks in the history of Chinese bankingThey will have a very promising future,” said Zhu Tao, president of Shanghai Huarui Bank, one of just five private banks to have so far been given the green light in China 

Huarui Bank officially started operations in May 2015 as the...