China’s outstanding loan growth eased marginally in May 2026, underscoring a modest cooling in credit expansion across the banking system. Year-on-year, total outstanding loans rose 5.5% in May, compared with a 5.6% increase recorded in April 2026.
The data, updated on 12 June 2026, show that while credit is still expanding on an annual basis, the pace of growth has inched lower when measured against the same month a year earlier. The April figure reflected the change versus April a year ago, and May’s reading similarly compares loan levels with those of May last year, highlighting a slight deceleration in year-over-year lending momentum.
