BEA has operated continuously in Mainland since the establishment of its first branch in Shanghai in 1920. The Bank's China operations have steadily grown over the years of economic reform and today. Leveraging its deep knowledge of the mainland market as well as its banking expertise in Hong Kong and overseas, BEA delivers quality products and services that are specially tailored to meet the needs of customers throughout Greater China.
BEA established its wholly-owned, locally-incorporated banking subsidiary, The Bank of East Asia (China) Limited ("BEA China"), in early 2007. As BEA's primary operation on the Chinese mainland, BEA China operates one of the largest networks of any foreign bank.
BEA China Website : www.hkbea.com.cn
Customer Service Hotline: 95382
Pioneering Spirit in Mainland
1980 BEA and Bank of China joined forces to launch foreign currency credit card settlement service in Mainland
1980 Joined hands with foreign and Mainland companies to form the first Sino-Foreign joint-venture company, Beijing Air Catering Limited
1986 Co-founded the first Sino-foreign joint-venture finance company in Mainland
─ China International Finance Company Limited (Shenzhen), offering wholesale banking services
1988 Pioneered the property mortgage business in Mainland
1991 Co-founded the first Sino-foreign joint-venture finance company established outside a special economic zone in Mainland
─ Shanghai International Finance Company Limited, rendering a full range of wholesale banking services
1995 Received “The Best Foreign Bank in China” award from Euromoney magazine
1998 One of the first foreign banks granted RMB licences on a provincial level
2002 One of the first foreign banks allowed to provide foreign currency banking services to both local individuals and local companies
2002 The first foreign bank licenced to offer online banking services in Mainland
2005 One of only a few foreign banks to receive approval to market both life and general insurance products in Mainland
2006 One of the first foreign banks in Mainland to be granted Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (“QDII”) status by the China Banking Regulatory Commission and the first foreign bank in Mainland to obtain a foreign exchange quota to conduct QDII business
2006 One of the first foreign banks to receive approval to proceed with the establishment of a locally-incorporated subsidiary bank in Mainland
2007 One of the first foreign banks to obtain approval to establish a locally-incorporated subsidiary bank in Mainland, known as the Bank of East Asia (China) Limited (“BEA China”)
2008 BEA China was the first foreign bank to launch Renminbi credit cards in Mainland
2009 BEA China was the first foreign bank to issue Renminbi retail bonds in Hong Kong
2010 BEA China completed its first cross-border RMB transaction for foreign direct investment
2011 BEA China issued its first batch of Renminbi financial bonds in the interbank bond market in Mainland
2012 BEA China launched the China Unionpay Standard IC Credit Card
2013 BEA China became the first locally-incorporated foreign bank in Mainland to issue an IC debit card
2014 BEA China became one of the first locally-incorporated foreign banks to open a sub-branch in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade
2015 BEA China became one of the wechat payment pioneers among foreign banks
2016 BEA China became the first foreign bank commencing an extensive collaboration with the leading property and casualty insurance institution in Mainland
2017 East Asia Qianhai Securities Company Limited received license from the CSRC for commencement of operation
2018 BEA China became the first foreign bank to receive approval to open a full branch in Qianhai, Shenzhen
2019 BEA China became the first foreign bank to open 5G intelligent bank branch on the Chinese Mainland
2020 BEA China donated RMB 3 million to the Red Cross Society of China Wuhan Branch in support of the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak
2020 BEA China launched the campaign of "A New Journey for the Next Century" to celebrate the centenary of BEA's entry into the Chinese Mainland
2021 BEA China joined hands with Shanghai Charity Foundation and Huashan Hospital to launch the Medical Staff Care Programme
2021 BEA China became one of the first batch of approved banks to participate in the Wealth Management Connect scheme ( "WMC" )
2022 BEA China exclusively sponsors celebration campaign for 25th Anniversary of Hong Kong's Return to Motherland in Shanghai
2023 BEA China release the first ESG report
2023 BEA launches a refreshed brand identity - Live every moment