Core Insights - Morgan Stanley reports that despite a decline in investment income, most mainland banks have shown improvement in net interest income and healthy growth in fee income for Q3 2025 [1][2] - State-owned banks are experiencing ongoing net interest margin pressure, but many banks expect this pressure to ease further [2][3] - The asset quality of banks remains stable, with a majority reporting a steady non-performing loan ratio [3] Group 1: Financial Performance - Most state-owned banks reported higher profit growth in Q3 2025 compared to the first half of the year, supported by stable asset quality [1] - Net interest margin for many banks has rebounded due to lower funding costs and more prudent loan growth and pricing [1][2] - Ningbo Bank reported the highest net interest income growth among covered banks, benefiting from increased market share and lower margin pressure [1] Group 2: Fee Income Growth - Average fee income growth for covered banks rebounded from 1.4% in Q2 2025 to 11.1% in Q3 2025, driven by a recovery in capital market activities and strong insurance sales [2] - Ningbo Bank led with a 94% year-on-year growth in fee income, while Agricultural Bank maintained a 23.6% growth [2] Group 3: Asset Quality and Credit Costs - The average non-performing loan ratio for covered banks remained stable at 1.15%, with credit costs declining for most banks [3] - State-owned banks slightly reduced credit costs to support profit growth, while the non-performing loan coverage ratio remained high at 263% [3] - Overall, banks continue to show a trend of profit rebound, with state-owned banks accelerating profit growth in Q3 2025 due to further declines in credit costs [3]