Bank of Ningbo, or BONB, boasts some of the best profitability metrics among peers and above-peer growth over the past decade, due to a differentiated business strategy and extensive branch network in the most affluent areas in China.
BONB’s exposure to local government debt risks is low, as its key operating regions have strong fiscal positions with fiscal revenue mainly coming from taxes instead of land sales.
Bears
The weakening foreign trade sector is likely to adversely affect credit demand and repayment capabilities of BONB’s SME customers, as the US and EU are the top two trading partners of Ningbo.
Bank of Ningbo is the fifth largest city commercial bank in China by total assets. Established in 1997 and listed on the Shenzhen Exchange in 2007, the bank has a headquartered in Ningbo, a vice-provincial city in Zhejiang province. It has a differentiated positioning in the SME and nonmortgage retail loan business. The bank has established 16 branches in Zhejiang Province, Jiangsu Province, Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangdong Province. These regions contributed about 64%, 23%, 4%, 3%, and 4%, respectively, to total loans in the first half of 2025. It has a diversified shareholding structure, with SASAC of Ningbo Municipal Government, Singapore’s OCBC Bank, and Youngor Group holding 18.7%, 18.7%, and 10% of the shares, respectively, as of September 2025.