浦发银行获批吸收合并巩义浦发村镇银行，“村改支”进程再迎重要进展

Group 1 - The core point of the article is that Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB) has received approval to acquire Gongyi Pudong Village Bank, marking significant progress in the "village-to-branch" reform process [2] - SPDB will establish a new branch in Zhengzhou, Gongyi, and will take over the assets, liabilities, business, and employees of Gongyi Pudong Village Bank after its asset verification [2] - Since July, SPDB has completed the "village-to-branch" reform for 12 independent village banks, with approvals from regulatory authorities for their absorption and conversion into branches [2][3] Group 2 - The move aligns with the policies from the Central Government and regulatory bodies aimed at reforming and mitigating risks in small financial institutions, enhancing financial services in rural areas [3] - Other banks, including state-owned and joint-stock banks, are also accelerating the "village-to-branch" process, with Agricultural Bank of China recently approved to absorb 192 rural banks and credit cooperatives [3] - As of August 15, 100 village banks have completed absorption and restructuring, surpassing the total of 94 expected for the entire year of 2024 [3]