China's big banks post Q3 profit gains, squeeze on net interest margins
China's largest lenders posted increases in their third-quarter profits on Wednesday, mostly on reduced provisions, with slimmer net interest margins for some. The frontrunner was Agricultural Bank of China Ltd (AgBank), which reported a 5.88% rise in third-quarter net profit. AgBank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) and China Construction Bank Corp (CCB) all posted sluggish growth or a drop in pre-provisions operating income, indicating the banks reduced provisions to boost net profit growth.