FINANCE

Ex-Bank of China Executive Becomes Unreachable

By Wu Xiaomeng and Qing Na

Published: Sep. 3, 2025 6:20 p.m. GMT+8

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Lin Jingzhen. Photo: AI generated

A former executive vice president at Bank of China Ltd. (BOC) has become unreachable.

Caixin has repeatedly called Lin Jingzhen’s personal phone number since Monday, but his device has remained off.

Starting Friday, Lin’s movements appear to have been limited, people in the banking sector told Caixin. A fitness tracker on his WeChat social media account that publicly displays his daily step count has been at zero since then, while he had previously averaged more than 10,000 steps a day, they said.

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Lin Jingzhen, former executive vice president at Bank of China, has been unreachable since his phone went off Monday and his WeChat fitness tracker stopped registering steps last Friday.
Lin’s resignation in January 2024 was unusual as he was still several months away from China’s typical male retirement age of 60.
Lin had a nearly 40-year career at BOC, overseeing overseas and corporate banking businesses.

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Who’s Who

Bank of China Ltd.: Bank of China Ltd. (BOC) is one of China’s "Big Four" state-owned commercial banks. A former executive vice president, Lin Jingzhen, who spent nearly four decades at the bank, is currently unreachable. He held various positions, including eight years at BOC's Hong Kong branch and leadership roles overseeing overseas and corporate banking.

BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Ltd.: BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Ltd. is a major subsidiary of Bank of China Ltd. A former executive vice president at Bank of China, Lin Jingzhen, served as a deputy chief executive of BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Ltd. for three years starting in 2015. He had also previously worked at BOC's Hong Kong branch for eight years.

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What Happened When

1987：: Lin Jingzhen joined Bank of China.

2015：: Lin Jingzhen became deputy chief executive of BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Ltd.

2018：: Lin Jingzhen was appointed executive vice president of Bank of China.

January 2025：: Lin Jingzhen resigned from Bank of China, officially due to his age.

Friday, 2025：: Lin Jingzhen's movements appeared to have been limited; his public fitness tracker showed zero steps since this day.

Monday, 2025：: Caixin began repeatedly calling Lin Jingzhen’s personal phone number, but his device remained off from this date.

AI generated, for reference only

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