Slowdown curbs Q1 lending activity

Central bank also reports increase in foreign reserves to nearly $4 trillion

Money supply growth decelerated further in March amid a reform-induced economic slowdown, according to figures released on Tuesday by the People's Bank of China.

The central bank said that the expansion of M2, a broad measure of money supply, slowed to 12.1 percent year-on-year from 13.3 percent in February. The market consensus was for an increase of 13 percent.