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