November 25 -- China Merchants Bank plans to issue 20 billion yuan worth of bonds to support lending to small and micro enterprises, reports CBN, citing a bank filing.

The proposed bond issuance is pending the regulators’ approval.

On October 25, the China Banking Regulatory Commission had directed commercial banks to ensure that the growth rate of lending to small and micro enterprises cannot be lower than the overall loan growth.

In addition, the notification called on banks to extend more financial support to companies with credit of less than five million yuan.