Core Viewpoint - The continuous decline in deposit rates, coupled with the concentration of fixed deposits maturing, is expected to significantly improve the cost of liabilities for banks [1][8]. Group 1: Deposit Trends - Recent reports indicate a trend of residents moving deposits from banks to other financial products such as funds and wealth management products [2][3]. - As of mid-2025, the total personal deposit balance of 13 major commercial banks reached 112.07 trillion yuan, an increase of 11.9 trillion yuan year-on-year [4][5]. - The average cost of deposits for these banks in the first half of 2025 was 1.61%, a decrease of 34 basis points compared to the same period in 2024 [12]. Group 2: Wealth Management Business Growth - The shift of deposits to wealth management products has led to significant growth in banks' wealth management income, with Agricultural Bank's wealth management income increasing by 62.3% [6]. - The total scale of bank wealth management products reached 30.67 trillion yuan by the end of June, with an estimated increase of about 2 trillion yuan by the end of July [6]. Group 3: Interest Margin and Cost of Liabilities - Despite the reduction in deposit costs, banks are still facing pressure on net interest margins, which have decreased to 1.42% as of the second quarter of 2025 [15][16]. - The average net interest margin for the 13 banks was 1.5%, down from 1.62% year-on-year [15]. - The decline in net interest margins is attributed to factors such as the reduction in the Loan Prime Rate (LPR) and adjustments in existing mortgage rates [17][18]. Group 4: Future Outlook - Analysts predict that the concentration of maturing fixed deposits will lead to a significant reduction in the cost of liabilities for banks in the coming years, with expected decreases of 17 to 24 basis points across different types of banks [11]. - The trend of increasing fixed deposits is expected to continue, with the proportion of fixed deposits among total deposits rising to approximately 59.7% in the first half of 2025 [9][10].