The Number

8,394 small loan firms

There were 8,394 small loan companies nationwide by the end of June, according to a report issued by the People's Bank of China, China's central bank, on Wednesday. The companies issued 61.8 billion yuan ($10 billion) of new loans in the first half of 2014, according to the report. The total balance of loans reached 881.1 billion yuan, the report said.