外汇局工作会议：深化外汇便利化改革，推进高水平制度型开放

Core Viewpoint - The 2026 National Foreign Exchange Management Work Conference outlined seven key priorities for foreign exchange management, emphasizing the need for a more convenient, open, secure, and intelligent foreign exchange management system to support economic development and risk prevention [1]. Group 1: Deepening Foreign Exchange Facilitation Reform - The conference highlighted the need to deepen foreign exchange facilitation reform to enhance the vitality of high-quality development, including optimizing trade foreign exchange business management and expanding cross-border trade pilot programs [3]. - Support for cross-border e-commerce and new trade formats was emphasized, with over 10 billion online foreign exchange transactions processed, benefiting over 1.8 million small and micro businesses [4]. - The goal is to build a diverse and competitive foreign exchange market, reducing hedging costs for small and micro enterprises and improving service levels in foreign exchange market infrastructure [3]. Group 2: High-Level Institutional Opening in Foreign Exchange - The conference aims to steadily advance high-level institutional opening in the foreign exchange sector, facilitating multi-field cooperation [5]. - The reform of bank foreign exchange operations will be guided to expand coverage nationwide, with 30 banks participating and handling foreign exchange business worth $440 billion [5]. - Policies for cross-border capital management for multinational companies will be implemented, benefiting nearly 5,000 member enterprises [5]. Group 3: Strengthening Foreign Exchange Regulation - Strengthening foreign exchange regulation and maintaining a stable foreign exchange market are key focuses for 2026, with an emphasis on macro-prudential management and expectation management [8]. - The conference noted the importance of enhancing regulatory capabilities and maintaining strict enforcement, with over 1,100 illegal activities addressed in 2025 [8]. - As of November 2025, China's foreign exchange reserves stood at $33,464 billion, remaining stable, with plans to revise the Foreign Exchange Management Regulations [8].