三名直接了解情况的人士透露，中国正在着手制定首项针对纯网络银行(online-only banking)运作的规则，以将金融业风险降至最小，并吸引包括外资银行在内的市场参与者。
其中两位消息人士称，这些规则还有可能为花旗、汇丰和渣打等已经在中国有业务的外资银行提供支持，允许他们设立独立的数字(数位)银行平台。
目前，企业对数据以及数字和人工智能技术的运用，使中国金融服务业的格局发生了重大变化，从支付处理到投资产品销售等方方面面都受到影响。
但外资银行在中国的零售银行业务赚钱不易，许多虽在国内开设业务多年，却连盈亏平衡都没实现，因为他们要与国内竞争对手庞大的实体网点相抗衡。
一位消息人士称，包括外资行在内的十几家集团正在与中国监管机构商谈新规问题，并表示有兴趣推出数字银行业务。这位消息人士参与了同银行监管机构的讨论。
该人士称，新规将允许这些集团同科技公司合作，开设独立的数字银行平台。
该人士说，随着政府推进放宽外资进入中国庞大金融市场限制的战略，银行业者有望获准在纯网络银行业务中持有多数股权。
该框架将涵盖阿里巴巴和腾讯控股等旗下现有的网络银行部门，将构成中国对快速增长的数字银行业进行标准化监管的第一个全面举措。
其他亚洲经济体，包括香港和新加坡，也都在引入纯数字银行。
自2014年以来，中国批准了四家纯网络银行，包括腾讯支持的微众银行(WeBank)、阿里巴巴的MYbank以及中信银行与百度联手打造的AI银行(AiBank)。
中国人民银行和中国银行保险监督管理委员会均未回应路透通过传真发出的置评请求。由于监管计划是保密的，因此上述消息人士不愿具名。
花旗的发言人说，花旗将在规则发布后仔细研究，该行的中国消费银行业务已经实现了数字化。
汇丰控股(HSBC)未予评论，但表示欢迎继续开放中国大陆金融市场的任何举动，并将始终寻求在中国扩展业务的新机会。
渣打、AI银行、MYbank和微众银行未予置评。
China to frame rules for online-only banks this year in boost to foreigners: sources
China is working to finalise its first rules to cover online-only banking operations in a push to minimize risk in the financial sector and attract players including foreign lenders, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said.
The guidelines could also bolster foreigners with existing China operations such as Citigroup Inc, HSBC Holdings PLC and Standard Chartered PLC by allowing them to set up separate digital banking platforms, two of them said.
The framing of rules come as companies’ use of data as well as digital and artificial intelligence technologies have transformed China’s financial services landscape, from processing payments to selling investment products.
But foreigners have struggled to make money in mainland retail banking, with many yet to break even despite years of onshore presence as they compete with the vast physical networks of domestic rivals.
About a dozen groups including foreigners are in talks with Chinese regulators over the new rules and have shown interest in launching digital banking operations, said one person who has been involved in such discussions with the banking watchdog.
The rules would allow them to partner tech firms for independent digital banking platforms, the person said.
Banks are expected to be allowed to own majority stakes in online-only banking ventures, the people said, as the government pushes ahead with its strategy of easing access for foreigners to China’s vast financial markets.
The framework, which will cover the existing online banking units of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd among others, will form China’s first comprehensive move to standardize oversight of the fast-growing digital banking sector.
Other Asian economies including Hong Kong and Singapore are also ushering in digital-only banks.
China has licensed four online-only banks since 2014 including Tencent-backed WeBank, Alibaba offshoot MYbank, and AiBank, backed by search engine operator Baidu Inc and China Citic Bank Corp Ltd.
The People’s Bank of China and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission did not respond to Reuters’ faxed requests for comment. The people declined to be identified as the regulatory plans are confidential.
A spokesman for Citi said the bank would review the rules when they are published, and that its own China consumer banking business had already been digitized.
HSBC declined to comment on the rules but said it would welcome any move that continued to open the financial markets in mainland China, and would always look for new opportunities to expand there.
StanChart, AiBank, MYbank and WeBank declined to comment.
In August, the central bank announced it was developing a three-year plan for the financial technology sector. It has yet to publish plans or give a timetable for doing so.
So far the online sector has made little inroad into day-to-day banking, with assets of the four online banks standing at $56 billion at the end of 2018, latest official data showed, accounting for 0.15% of China’s total banking assets.