Charts of the Day: State-Owned Banks Top List of China’s Most Profitable Companies

China’s “Big Four” state-owned banks were the most profitable companies listed on the Chinese mainland last year, data from an industry association showed.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (601398.SH), the world’s largest bank by assets, reported a net profit of 350.2 billion yuan ($50.1 billion) in 2021, according to a statement released Monday by the China Association for Public Companies.

China Construction Bank Corp. (601939.SH) came in second, reporting a 303.9 billion yuan net profit last year. It was followed by Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. (601288.SH) and Bank of China Ltd. (601988.SH), which booked 241.9 billion yuan and 227.3 billion yuan, respectively.

Together, the “Big Four” lenders reported 1.1 trillion yuan in net profits, accounting for more than a fifth of total net income earned by the 4,669 mainland-listed firms that had released annual reports by April 30.

On Shanghai’s Nasdaq-style high-tech board, chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (688981.SH) took the crown as the most profitable firm, reporting 11.2 billion yuan in net profit for the year.

On Shenzhen’s ChiNext board, electric-vehicle battery-maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (300750.SZ) took the top spot, reporting a net profit of 17.9 billion yuan.

As of the end of 2021, there were a total of 4,682 mainland-traded companies, including 524 that listed last year, data from the association showed. Their total market cap was 96.5 trillion yuan, the second-highest in the world after that of the U.S.

In total, the 4,669 mainland-listed firms that have released annual reports reported net profits of 5.3 trillion yuan on revenue of 65 trillion yuan last year, the association said in a separate statement released on April 30. By industry, the three most profitable industries last year were finance, manufacturing and mining, which together accounted for nearly 88% of the total net profits of the firms.

Contact reporter Tang Ziyi (ziyitang@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.

Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter.