• Brief history
• Executive committee
• Management committee
• Academic seminar group
• Recreation group
• The manager
• Member Banks
• Related Websites

When the Qing Dynasty of imperial China was overthrown in the early 20th century, many Chinese businessmen and merchants relocated their business to Hong Kong. During this period, banks in Hong Kong were generally separated into two groups, “Western Banks” with modernized management operated by European bankers, and traditional Chinese banks and money changers called “Ngan-ho” operated by local businessmen.

As the Chinese merchants’ businesses expanded rapidly, the traditional Ngan-hos became inadequate to fulfill the banking needs of these fledging merchants. Also, the Ngan-hos had very little business relationships with foreign banks. It was clear that the local Chinese banks needed to reform themselves. However, the modernization process of the local banks was not a simple task and was often met with challenges.

In 1919, Mr Pei Tsu-Yee of Bank of China proposed to establish The Chinese Banks’ Association to represent the interests of the Chinese banks. This idea was strongly supported by Mr. Kan Tong-Po of The Bank of East Asia. Member banks include The National Commercial and Savings Bank Limited, Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, Yien Yieh Commercial Bank Limited and the Bank of Canton (now China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation Limited). Interbank liaisons and meetings were only limited to senior management of member banks.

The Association did not have a permanent address at its establishment. In 1948, the Association leased an office at the Bank of East Asia Building as its club premises and called the first Executive Committee meeting, and also began recruiting individual members. The recreation committee was established in 1951 to organize sports and leisure activities for our members. In 1966, the Association moved its premises to the Chiao Shang Building. The Association was officially registered as The Chinese Banks’ Association Limited in 1974 and issued debentures to member banks in the same year to raise capital for the purchase of the present club premises. A design competition was held in 1993 for the Association logo, and the current logo was selected by the Executive Committee.

When the Association was established, there were only six member banks. Eventually, it grew to thirty-five member banks. As the banking sector went through consolidation and mergers, there are currently nineteen member banks, and more than 2,000 individual club members.

The objective of the Association is to provide a platform to promote the companionship between members. The Association holds academic seminars, recreational events and interbank sports competitions for members to participate.

Departmental luncheons are held monthly on a rotating basis, where senior staffs of member banks gather with their peers in similar business roles and responsibilities. Every year during the festive seasons, the Association hosts New Year and Chinese New Year Gala Dinners.

The Association operates a full service Chinese restaurant in the club premises, specializing in traditional dim sum and Cantonese specialty dishes. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner; members are most welcomed to make reservations.

Under the leadership of the Executive Committee, the Management Committee is responsible for the operation of the Association and provides guidance to the other committees and the Association office. The Academic Committee and Sports & Recreation Committee organize various seminars and activities for our members.