银行业“反内卷”：突围之困与破局之路

Core Viewpoint - The banking industry is facing intense competition characterized by price wars and a struggle for quality customers, leading to a common dilemma of "involution" that requires a systemic approach to break free and achieve high-quality development [3][4][6]. Group 1: Involution Challenges - The competition for quality customers has intensified, with some banks offering consumer loan rates as low as 2.6% earlier this year, only to see rates rise above 3% by April, and then drop again to around 2.5% for business loans in July [4][5]. - Many banks are resorting to high-interest deposit strategies at the end of assessment periods to attract customers, leading to a significant decline in net interest margins, which fell to 1.43% in the first quarter [5]. - The internal competition is exacerbated by a "prisoner's dilemma," where banks are aware that price wars harm overall industry interests but feel compelled to follow suit to avoid losing market share [6][7]. Group 2: Recommendations for Improvement - Experts suggest that financial management departments should implement strong measures to create a multi-layered, widely covered, and differentiated financial institution system, allowing institutions to provide tailored products and services based on market and customer needs [2][8]. - There is a call for a shift in performance assessment from a scale-oriented approach to one focused on quality and efficiency, incorporating risk-adjusted returns and customer value contributions into evaluation systems [8][9]. - The restructuring of business models is recommended, moving from scale-driven to value-driven strategies, emphasizing the profitability of individual clients and reducing reliance on single credit products [9].