REGULATIONS

# REGULATIONS RELATING TO FINANCIAL BUSINESS

# Regulations on Micro Lending Business

Pursuant to the Guiding Opinions on the Pilot Operation of Micro Lending Companies (關於小額貸款公司試點的指導意見) promulgated by the China Banking Regulatory Commission (“CBRC”, now merged into the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission) and the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”) on May 4, 2008, to apply for setting up a micro lending company, the applicant shall file an application in due form with the competent department of the provincial government, and, upon approval, it shall apply to the local administrative department for industry and commerce for handling the registration formalities and get the business license. The major sources of funds of a micro lending company shall be the capital paid by shareholders, donated capital and the capital borrowed from at most two banking financial institutions. The balance of the capital borrowed from banking financial institutions shall not exceed 50% of the net capital within the scope as prescribed by laws and regulations. The loan interest ceiling shall be left open but below the ceiling determined by thej udicial department, and the floor interest rate shall be 0.9 times the base rate published by PBOC.

# Regulations on Payment Business

Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for the Payment Services Provided by Non-financial Institutions (非金融機構支付服務管理辦法) promulgated by the PBOC on May 19, 2010, to provide payment services, a non-financial institution shall obtain a Payment Business Permit and become a payment institution. An applicant for a Payment Business Permit a limited liability company orj oint-stock company legally formed inside the People’s Republic of China and it is the corporate body of a non-financial institution. A payment institution shall file the statistical statements, financial accounting report and other relevant materials on its payment business with the local branch of the PBOC as required, and the proportion of its paid-in monetary capital against its daily average balance of clients’ deposits shall not be lower than 10%. Where any payment institution continues to operate the payment business after its Payment Business Permit has expired, the PBOC or the branch thereof shall order it to terminate the payment business. On January 13, 2017, the PBOC promulgated the Notice on Matters concerning Implementing the Centralized Deposit of the Funds of Pending Payments of Clients of Payment Institutions (關於實施支付機構客戶備付金集中存管有關事項的通知). According to which, beginning on April 17, 2017, a payment institution shall deposit a certain percentage of the funds of pending payments of its clients in a special deposit account with a designated institution, and there is no interest on the funds in such an account for the time being. The percentage was adjusted by PBOC on December 29, 2017 in the Notice on Adjusting the Centralized Deposit Percentage of the Funds of Pending Payments of Clients of Payment Institutions (關於調整支付機構客戶備付金集中交存比例的通知), which requires the centralized deposit percentage to be raised by 10% on a monthly basis from February to April 2018.

# Regulations on Commercial Factoring

The commercial factoring is a relatively new business model in mainland China, MOFCOM had issued circulars to promote commercial factoring in the specific regions. Pursuant to the Circular on the Pilot Work of Commercial Factoring (關於商業保理試點有關工作的通知), which was promulgated by the MOFCOM on June 27, 2012, a trial implementation of commercial factoring pilot work was permitted in Tianjin Binhai New Area and Shanghai Pudong New Area to explore the approaches to develop the commercial factoring and to better utilize its role in expanding the export and promoting the development of small and medium enterprises. Later in December 2012, the said