Net profit growth of 3.18%, ranking first among the six major banks! Live coverage of the Agricultural Bank of China's earnings meeting: no "chaotic" expansion

Source: Times Weekly—Times Online

Agricultural Bank of China 2025 annual performance briefing. Photo source: Agricultural Bank of China

On March 30, Agricultural Bank of China (601288.SH/01288.HK) held its 2025 annual performance briefing, while also disclosing full-year results simultaneously, with a reporter from Times Weekly attending in person.

In 2025, Agricultural Bank of China achieved attributable net profit of 291.04B yuan, up 3.18% year over year. The growth rate ranked first among the six state-owned large banks; operating income was 725.31B yuan, up 2.08% year over year. Operating revenue and net profit continued to maintain double-digit growth for two consecutive years.

At the briefing, Wang Zhiheng, president of Agricultural Bank of China, said that the bank’s full-year performance improved quarter by quarter, staying steady and progressing; operating quality and efficiency continued to rise, laying a solid foundation for high-quality development in the next stage.

As of the end of 2025, Agricultural Bank of China’s total asset scale reached 4.8788 trillion yuan, total loan balance was 2.713 trillion yuan, and new loans added over the year were 2.23 trillion yuan; customer deposits totaled 3.869 trillion yuan, with an increase of 487.8k yuan. The core deposit-and-loan base remained solid. The capital adequacy ratio was 17.93%, and the bank’s risk resilience remained leading among peers.

Net interest income is expected to regain growth in this year’s first quarter

Against the industry backdrop of narrowing net interest margins, Agricultural Bank of China achieved stable growth in profitability by optimizing its business structure. In 2025, the bank’s net interest yield was 1.28%. It generated net interest income of 271.3k yuan. Although it declined slightly year over year due to changes in interest rates, scale growth contributed an additional 22.3k yuan.

However, at the briefing, Wang Zhiheng said that in the first two months of 2026, the bank’s loan growth was 1.1 trillion yuan, and net interest income has already stopped falling; in this year’s first quarter, it may regain growth.

Worth noting is that Agricultural Bank of China’s intermediary business performed strongly, becoming an important support for profit growth. Net fee and commission income grew 13.34% year over year, far exceeding the industry average. Growth in wealth management, credit cards, electronic banking, and other businesses was significant.

Wang Zhiheng said that Agricultural Bank of China is accelerating the layout of high-value-added businesses such as wealth management, investment banking, and digital finance, promoting a shift in its income structure from relying on interest to a diversified and balanced model.

In 2025, Agricultural Bank of China’s corporate loans increased by 1.79 trillion yuan, with重点 investments directed to sectors including manufacturing, infrastructure, and technology innovation; personal loans increased by 448.5 billion yuan. Mortgage lending ran steadily, and consumer finance was expanded in an orderly manner.

In addition, as of the end of 2025, the bank’s technology loan balance was 386.9k yuan, with a growth rate of 20.1%; green loan balance was 593 billion yuan, with a growth rate of 18.7%; inclusive small and micro loan balance was 37.1k yuan, with a net increase of 74.99 billion yuan. The bank comprehensively aligned with national priority directions such as high-end manufacturing, green and low-carbon initiatives, and “specialized, refined, and innovative” enterprises.

Regarding dividends, Agricultural Bank of China plans to distribute a final cash dividend of 1.3 yuan per 10 shares to ordinary shareholders, with a total cash dividend amount of 44.05B yuan. Together with the 2025 interim dividend, for 2025, the bank’s total cash dividends will be 11k yuan, accounting for 30.00% of attributable net profit.

It has launched an “Agricultural Bank-style lobster”

In terms of asset quality, according to the financial report, in 2025 Agricultural Bank of China’s non-performing loan ratio was 1.27%, down 3 basis points from the beginning of the year; the overdue loan ratio was 1.25%, maintaining the best level among comparable peer banks. The loan loss reserve balance was kept above one trillion yuan, and the coverage ratio of loan loss reserves was 292.55%. Both the reserve balance and the reserve coverage ratio ranked first among comparable peer banks.

Wang Zhiheng pointed out that the bank’s non-performing ratio has declined for five consecutive years. Going forward, it will continue to strengthen risk management to prevent and defuse risks related to real estate and local government debt, and will also accelerate the development of new inclusive retail credit businesses. He said it has confidence that the bank’s asset quality can remain sound this year.

In risk prevention and control, Lin Li, deputy president of Agricultural Bank of China, said at the briefing that in the next 2-3 years, risk management capability will become the key dividing line for commercial banks. Faced with risks in key areas such as real estate and local financing platforms, Agricultural Bank of China adheres to a prudent risk appetite. It does not engage in rough expansion in a “careless and scattered” manner; instead, it aims to achieve “a clear and neat look.”

Beyond that, regarding artificial intelligence applications, achievements in construction, and next-step plans, Wang Zhiheng said that Agricultural Bank of China is firmly grasping the wave of technological development in AI, and has specifically established an office for the construction of smart banking. The bank is increasing efforts to coordinate and advance smart banking initiatives. At the same time, it has also made clear that it will use agent applications as a starting point and project needs as a driver, continuously improving the “AI+” capability framework, with an emphasis on promoting intelligent and inclusive applications of AI.

“Next, Agricultural Bank of China will continue to fully implement smart banking construction. With technological empowerment, it will continuously enhance the precision, convenience, and inclusiveness of financial services,” Wang Zhiheng said.

As for the recently hot “lobster,” Lin Li introduced that Agricultural Bank of China has already rolled out an “Agricultural Bank-style lobster.” He emphasized that this is not chasing trends. The bank uses this tool to automatically process and analyze data and to intelligently generate due diligence reports, making the loan process more convenient, efficient, and secure.

A large amount of information, precise interpretation—All available on the Sina Finance APP

责任编辑：曹睿潼