The Agricultural Bank of China Ltd recently released its microfinance scorecard for 2009 in which it details a rural microloan balance of RMB 67.3 billion (USD 9.9 billion), an increase of RMB 62.6 billion (USD 9.2 billion) from the beginning of 2009 alone.
By the end of 2009, ABC had provided microloans to 2.23 million farmers. As part of its rural outreach, ABC provides the Farmer’s Benefit Kins Card, which permits farmers to access their funds via retailers and rural cooperatives. ABC disbursed 33 million Farmer’s Benefit Kins Cards, which cover nearly 160 million farmers totaling loans of RMB 150 billion (USD 22.0 billion). In terms of its entire banking operations, ABC recorded in 2009 an increase in total deposits to RMB 1.75 trillion (USD 257 billion), which is a 27.7 percent increase from the previous year. ABC’s total loan portfolio also grew by RMB 1.03 trillion (USD 151 billion), an increase of 178 percent from the prior year.

About Agricultural Bank of China Ltd (ABC):
In January 2009, Agricultural Bank of China Ltd (ABC) registered as a joint-stock company with the government as majority shareholder and was renamed “Agricultural Bank of China Limited.” ABC’s predecessor, the Agricultural Bank of China, was a wholly state-owned commercial bank founded in 1951. In 2009, ABC generated revenue of RMB 38.5 billion (USD 5.6 billion) on its intermediary business, which is an increase of 44 percent from the prior year. ABC’s total loan portfolio grew by RMB 1.03 trillion (USD 151 billion), an increase of 178 percent from the prior year. ABC has 24,064 branches, sub-branches and outlets in the People’s Republic of China and correspondent banking relationships with 1,171 banks worldwide. ABC website: http://www.abchina.com/en/default.htm

Bibliography:
ABC: http://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=Agricultural+Bank+of+China+Ltd+%28ABC%29

Additional Resources:
[1] Original article: http://www.zibb.com/article/5802665/Agricultural+Bank+Offered+CNY+trn+Loans+in