Newspaper: PBOC plans annual reserve ratio reviews

Financing to SMEs, farm sector will be key points in evaluation of lenders

The central bank is considering an annual review system to decide whether to cut lenders' reserve requirement ratio, the China Securities Journal reported on Wednesday.

Reviews will focus on whether a bank's lending to small and medium-sized enterprises and the agricultural sector has met requirements set by the central bank. The People's Bank of China has been encouraging lending to those areas - long neglected by banks in China because of higher risk.