The State Council Information Office (SCIO) holds a press conference about effects of monetary and financial policies on high-quality development of the real economy in Beijing, capital of China, on Jan. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday announced a series of measures to support growth and facilitate structural improvements, including cuts to interest rates and the down payment ratio for commercial property mortgages.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) will cut the interest rates on all structural monetary policy tools by 0.25 percentage points, Zou Lan, deputy governor of the central bank, said at a press conference.
According to a PBOC statement, the rate cuts for relending and rediscount facilities will take effect on Jan. 19.
The one-year relending rate will be reduced from 1.5 percent to 1.25 percent, with rates for other maturities adjusted accordingly.
Zou also said that the central bank will work with the National Financial Regulatory Administration to lower the minimum down payment ratio for commercial property mortgages to 30 percent.
The central bank will integrate the use of its relending and rediscount quotas to support agriculture and small businesses, with an additional 500 billion yuan (about 71.36 billion U.S. dollars) allocated to the relending facility, Zou said.
Within the total quota, a dedicated relending facility of 1 trillion yuan will be established specifically for private enterprises, prioritizing support for small and medium-sized private firms, he said. ■
