The Chinese government is urging banks to speed up loan approvals for real estate developers, despite the sector being in a downturn and many lenders facing cash shortages. This move is aimed at boosting homebuyer sentiment, but may decrease lenders’ asset quality.
The real estate market in China has been struggling for the past year, with property values declining, homebuyer sentiment sinking, and construction projects remaining unfinished. In February, home prices decreased for the eighth consecutive month, indicating a prolonged downturn in the sector.
To help cash-strapped developers in the real estate sector, Beijing has introduced a “whitelist” mechanism that covers state-backed and private developers requiring 1.5 trillion yuan in new financing. This program allows city governments to recommend residential property developments to banks for financial support. While this may boost the sector, there are concerns about the quality of the loans and potential risks associated with rushing approvals.
Chinese banks have been cautious in increasing credit exposure to the struggling property market, limiting hopes for a real estate rebound and impacting economic growth. This cautious approach has also affected the banks themselves, with weak consumer sentiment and growth outlooks leading to reduced loan demand and business, resulting in decreased profits for top state-backed lenders.
Overall, the push to expedite loan approvals in the real estate sector is a risky move that could have both positive and negative implications for the sector, the banks, and the broader Chinese economy. It remains to be seen how successful these measures will be in reviving the struggling real estate market and supporting economic growth.
