ICBC Reports 1.4% Decrease in Interim Net Profit to RMB 168.1 Billion; Interim Dividend Per Share at RMB 0.1414
ICBC Interim Results Overview
- Net Profit: For the period ending June 2025, ICBC reported a net profit of RMB 168.103 billion, reflecting a slight decline of 1.4% year-over-year.
- Earnings Per Share (EPS): The EPS for this period stood at RMB 0.46.
Dividend Declaration
- Dividend Amount: The bank declared an interim dividend of RMB 1.414 per 10 shares.
- Dividend Change: This represents a decrease of 1.4% compared to the interim dividend of RMB 1.434 per 10 shares declared in 2024.
Market Activity
- Stock Performance: ICBC's stock price decreased by 0.020, or 0.345%.
- Short Selling Data: The short selling volume was reported at $181.70 million, with a short selling ratio of 15.285%.
Additional Information
- Market Data Delay: It is noted that the Hong Kong stock quotes are delayed by at least 15 minutes, and the short selling data is as of August 29, 2025, at 16:25.
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Capital Injection Plans: China is considering issuing RMB500 billion in special government bonds to bolster the capital of major banks like ICBC and ABC, with an estimated RMB300 billion allocated to these banks and RMB200 billion to large insurers.
Timeline for Implementation: The capital injection could be announced as early as the first quarter of 2026, potentially leading to earlier dividend distributions for state-owned banks.
Market Trends: Following the 2025 capital injection, banks experiencing greater dilution, such as BANKCOMM and PSBC, have shown weaker performance compared to their peers.
Investment Recommendations: UBS maintains a positive outlook on Chinese bank stocks with dividend yields over 5%, favoring institutions like ICBC, CCB, CITIC BANK, and BANK OF CHINA.
ICBC Performance: ICBC shares decreased by 1.233%, with a short selling ratio of 16.197% and a neutral rating of 5.8.
Bank of China Update: Bank of China shares fell by 1.071%, with a short selling ratio of 12.697% and a buy rating of 4.94.
CM Bank Insights: CM Bank shares rose by 0.418%, with a significant short selling ratio of 31.262% and a buy rating of 52.96.
Market Trends: Other banks like CCB and ABC also experienced slight declines, while PSBC maintained a buy rating despite a minor drop in share price.

Capital Injection Plans: Chinese authorities are set to inject RMB300 billion into two major state-owned banks, ICBC and ABC, as reported by Goldman Sachs, which did not confirm the rumor but assessed its potential impact.
Impact on Financial Metrics: If the capital injection occurs, it could lead to an estimated 4-7% dilution in EPS and a maximum of 2% dilution in BVPS, while potentially increasing the CET1 ratio by 54 to 61 basis points.
Stock Selection Preferences: Goldman Sachs favors banks with solid balance sheets that have completed capital replenishment, such as CCB, Bank of China, and CM Bank, which are seen as having greater potential for dividend increases.
Current Ratings and Uncertainties: Goldman Sachs maintains a Neutral rating on ICBC and ABC with target prices of HKD5.8 and HKD4.95, respectively, citing uncertainties regarding the capital injection's size, timing, and valuation.
Investment Products Availability: Several investment physical gold products from ICBC and ABC are marked as "temporarily out of stock," with some completely sold out, while other banks like Bank of China, CCB, and Bankcomm still have their physical precious metals series available.
Short Selling Data: The short selling figures for ICBC, ABC, Bank of China, CCB, and Bankcomm indicate varying levels of short selling activity, with ABC having the highest short selling ratio at 14.597%.

Government Bond Issuance: China is planning to issue special government bonds worth around RMB200 billion (approximately USD29 billion) to restructure the capital of large insurers facing consolidation pressures.
Targeted Insurers: The funds raised will be directed towards state-owned enterprises such as CHINA LIFE, PICC GROUP, and CHINA TAIPING to strengthen their capital.
Future Plans: The bond issuance plan could be announced as early as the first quarter of 2026, with an additional RMB300 billion planned for major banks like ICBC and ABC.
Continuation of Support: This initiative follows last year's similar bond issuance aimed at helping large state-owned banks, including BANK OF CHINA and BANKCOMM, to supplement their capital.

MOU Agreement: During UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China, the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and ICBC announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance cooperation in various financial sectors.
Areas of Cooperation: The agreement focuses on expanding collaboration in capital markets, trading, clearing, data, RMB business, and emerging technologies.







