Bank of China，or Bank of China Limited in full, is one of China’s four state-owned commercial banks. Its businesses cover commercial banking, investment banking and insurance. Members of the group include BOC Hong Kong, BOC International, BOCG Insurance and other financial institutions. The Bank provides a comprehensive range of high-quality financial services to individual and corporate customers as well as financial institutions worldwide. In terms of tier one capital, it ranked 18th among the world’s top 1,000 banks by The Banker magazine in 2005.

The Bank is mainly engaged in commercial banking, including corporate and retail banking, treasury business and financial institutions banking. Corporate banking is built upon credit products, to provide customers with personalized and innovative financial services as well as financing and financial solutions. Retail banking serves the financial needs of the Bank’s individual customers, focusing on providing them with such services as savings deposit, consumer credit bankcard and wealth management business. Treasury business includes domestic and foreign-currency trading and investment, fund management, wealth management, value-secured debt business, domestic and overseas financing and other fund operation and management services. Financial institution banking refers to services offered to banks, securities brokerages, fund companies and insurance companies worldwide ranging from clearing, inter-bank lending to agent and custodian services. As a Chinese financial institution with a history of almost a hundred years, the Bank is well known for its continuous business innovations, introducing many brand new products and services in the domestic banking industry, while paying regard to the need for prudence in its operations. It is widely recognized and commended by its peers and customers in international settlement, foreign exchange, trade finance, etc.

Over the past century, Bank of China played an important role in China’s financial history. It was established in 1912 pursuant to the approval of Mr. Sun Yatsen. In the following 37 years until the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Bank served as the central bank, international exchange bank and specialized foreign trade bank successively. As the pillar of the country’s financial industry, Bank of China was committed to serving the public and developing the domestic financial sector. During these volatile years, the Bank strived to expand its presence in the market by prudent operation and aggressive reform, leading the market in many areas of its operations for a long period. Having branched out into overseas market, the Bank opened a brilliant chapter in China’s modern and contemporary banking history.

In 1949, Bank of China became the state-designated specialized foreign exchange bank and substantially contributed to development of foreign trade and the national economy. In 1994 and following the entrenchment of the reform of the financial sector, Bank of China was converted into a wholly state-owned commercial bank. Together with the other three wholly state-owned commercial banks, it constituted pillars of the country’s financial industry.

In 2003, it was named by the State Council as one of the pilot banks for joint-stock reform of wholly state-owned commercial banks. In order to develop itself into an internationally competitive modern joint-stock commercial bank with abundant capital, strict internal control, secure operations, and sound service and performance, Bank of China further improved corporate governance mechanism, strengthened risk management and internal control, integrated management processes and business processes, promoted human resource management reform, accelerated product and service innovation, and steadily pushed ahead joint-stock reform. On August 26, 2004, Bank of China Limited was formally incorporated in Beijing as a state-controlled joint stock commercial bank, turning a new chapter in its history and signaling a huge step forward in becoming a modern joint stock commercial bank with good corporate governance practices.

Bank of China is the most internationalized commercial bank in China. BOC London Branch, the first overseas branch of the Chinese banks, was established in 1929. From then on, the Bank successively opened branches in global financial centers, and has built up its network in 27 countries and regions. Currently, it had over 10000 domestic operations and over 600 overseas operations. In 1994 and 1995, Bank of China became the note issuing bank in Hong Kong and Macao respectively. It was the first among Chinese banks to recruit international experts and to introduce modern business management concepts into its operations with a view to become a premiere international bank.

On July 14, 2004, Bank of China became the sole banking partner of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The Bank will offer efficient and quality financial services to domestic and foreign customers. It will promote the Olympic spirits and contribute to the success of this magnificent sports event, thereby improving its corporate image and its value to the community.