During the 2026 interim results briefing held on August 31, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co.,Ltd. (SPDB) Vice Chairman and President Xie Wei addressed the bank's financial performance, highlighting that the group's net interest margin reached 1.43% in the first half of the year, an improvement of two basis points compared to the previous year.

Xie Wei outlined a four-pronged strategy to sustain this positive momentum. Firstly, the bank has deepened its focus on specialty sectors to optimize the credit asset structure. Over the past few years, SPDB has persistently advanced its digital intelligence strategy, directing business concentration and resource allocation toward five core segments. This approach has driven corporate loan growth of 6.73% during the first half, a notable achievement given the intense competition and slowing growth trends among joint-stock banks. The expansion and increased proportion of assets with higher yield levels have correspondingly boosted income on the asset side.

Secondly, the bank is anchoring its stable operational base by concentrating on key regions. In terms of regional strategy, the Yangtze River Delta stands as a primary focus for SPDB, with corporate loan balances in this area approaching 40% of the total. New loans attributed to this region have consistently exceeded 60% for two consecutive years, a benchmark also met in the first half of this year. The delta's relatively more vibrant economy and higher asset quality make it a crucial source of premium assets that offer better returns and lower risks, with overall performance in this area surpassing the bank's average.

Thirdly, SPDB is dedicated to liability management, persistently working to reduce overall funding costs. By centering on client settlement scenarios and transactions, the bank employs an integrated online customer acquisition and engagement model to deliver more fund settlement and payment services. In the first half, the group's total deposits grew by 5.05%, with corporate deposits up 4.50% and retail deposits rising 5.94%. Through these settlement-oriented activities, the bank aims to increase the proportion of demand deposits and lower overall interest payment levels.

Fourthly, the bank is strengthening comprehensive balance sheet coordination to enhance the efficiency of overall fund utilization. Xie Wei candidly acknowledged, "Objectively speaking, although our interest payment rates and margins have stabilized and are on a positive trajectory, the absolute values still trail the industry's best levels. Further efforts are needed to optimize these strategies, expand our net interest margin, and support the sustained improvement of our overall operational performance."