村镇银行年内84家获批解散，兼并重组成主旋律

Core Insights - The reform of small and medium-sized financial institutions, particularly in the village and town bank sector, is accelerating, with a significant increase in the number of banks approved for dissolution in 2025 compared to previous years [1][3] Group 1: Reform Progress - As of July 9, 2025, 84 village and town banks have been officially approved for dissolution, showing a notable increase compared to the same period in 2023 and 2024 [1] - The core idea of the village bank reform is "merger and reorganization, reduction and quality improvement," with most banks being absorbed and merged into local city commercial banks or rural commercial banks [1][3] Group 2: Regional Developments - Inner Mongolia has the highest number of village bank dissolutions in the first half of the year, with 15 banks approved for dissolution, followed by Shandong and Jiangsu with 14 and 5 respectively [3] - The total number of village banks in the country has decreased from 1,538 at the end of 2024 to 1,454 as of July 9, 2025 [3] Group 3: New Trends - New trends in the village bank reform include cross-province mergers, such as Harbin Bank acquiring Chongqing Youyang Rongxing Village Bank and establishing branches in Chongqing [3] - Major state-owned banks, like Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, have also entered the merger and reorganization process, acquiring their own established village banks [3] - Despite these developments, large-scale cross-regional operations by regional banks remain unlikely, with future reforms expected to focus on enhancing services for agriculture and small enterprises while mitigating risks [3]