阿尔法工场研究院·2025-06-30 12:09Core Viewpoint - The retail banking sector, once a significant profit driver, is now facing challenges, with a notable decline in profitability and a shift in strategic focus towards digital transformation and diversified revenue sources [1][4][23]. Retail Business Performance - In 2024, the pre-tax profit from retail financial services for China Merchants Bank (CMB) was 87.99 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 9.56%, leading to a drop in retail profit contribution to 50.74% [4][7]. - Wealth management fees and commissions fell by 25.24% to 20.19 billion yuan, while credit card fees decreased by 14.23% [4]. - The non-performing loan (NPL) ratio for retail loans rose to 0.96%, an increase of 0.07 percentage points from the previous year [4][5]. Interest Margin and Loan Performance - The net interest margin (NIM) fell below 2% to 1.98% in 2024, further declining to 1.91% in Q1 2025, although still above the industry average of 1.43% [7][8]. - Retail loan growth was 6.06%, with a total balance of 3.58 trillion yuan, but this growth rate lagged behind the 11.58% growth in corporate loans [10][12]. Strategic Shift in Retail Banking - The retail banking sector is transitioning from a profit-centric model to a foundational asset configuration aimed at supporting inclusive finance and stimulating consumption [11][12]. - CMB is focusing on optimizing risk management and prioritizing low-risk customer segments while acknowledging the need for a strategic shift in retail banking [12][13]. New Growth Engines - CMB is exploring new avenues for growth, with its wealth management assets under management (AUM) reaching 14.93 trillion yuan, a 12.05% increase, and a significant portion of AUM being non-deposit [16][19]. - The bank's strategy includes international expansion, diversified operations, differentiated competition, and digital transformation, with a notable increase in bond investment returns by 34.74% to 29.88 billion yuan [17][18]. Market Confidence and Future Outlook - Long-term investments from entities like Ping An Life reflect market confidence in CMB's transformation strategy [18][22]. - CMB is not abandoning retail but is reconstructing its value chain, emphasizing customer base as a core asset, with over 210 million retail customers in 2024 [19][20].