The new leader of Chengdu Bank has been appointed! Veteran Huang Jianjun faces new challenges

On March 11, Chengdu Bank announced that the Sichuan Financial Regulatory Bureau has approved Huang Jianjun’s qualification for his position. This veteran deeply involved in Sichuan’s financial sector has returned to his former employer after nearly six years and officially become the leader.

Veteran’s Return

For Huang Jianjun, this appointment is a “return.” Public information shows that Huang Jianjun, born in 1975, has worked at Chengdu Bank for many years. His career began at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Chengdu Branch, then he joined the predecessor of Chengdu Bank, Chengdu Commercial Bank. He gradually rose from the grassroots, holding key positions such as Director of the Office Secretary Department, President of the High-tech Branch, Party Secretary and President of the Xi’an Branch, among others. In 2016, he was promoted to Vice President of Chengdu Bank.

In June 2020, Huang Jianjun was transferred to Chengdu Rural Commercial Bank as Deputy Party Secretary and President, and two years later, he was promoted to Chairman. In August 2025, Huang Jianjun returned to Chengdu Bank as Party Secretary and was nominated for Chairman; in September of the same year, the bank’s board elected him as Chairman of the eighth board of directors, pending regulatory approval.

Looking at his background, Huang Jianjun is a seasoned local financial veteran in Chengdu. During his tenure at Chengdu Rural Commercial Bank, the bank’s total assets increased from 519.7 billion yuan in 2020 to 999.1 billion yuan by the end of September 2025, officially surpassing one trillion yuan, delivering a relatively impressive performance.

Phoenix Finance’s “Bank Financial Eye” notes that the approval of Huang Jianjun’s qualification signifies the official completion of the leadership swap between Chengdu Bank and Chengdu Rural Commercial Bank, two closely watched local financial institutions. In August 2025, while Huang Jianjun was nominated as a candidate for Chairman of Chengdu Bank, the former Chairman Wang Hui was transferred to Chengdu Rural Commercial Bank and appointed Chairman.

Lin Xianping, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the China Urban Experts Think Tank Committee, said in an interview that for local financial regulation, rotating senior management among core city-based financial institutions helps unify regional financial resources, strengthen risk prevention, optimize leadership teams, reduce compliance risks from long-term tenure, and send positive signals to the market about regional financial stability and support for the Chengdu-Chongqing financial center development.

The Growth Troubles of Top Performers

As the first listed bank in Sichuan Province and the eighth city commercial bank listed on A-shares nationwide, Chengdu Bank is considered a “top student” among city commercial banks.

Data shows that as of the end of September 2025, the bank’s total assets reached 1.39 trillion yuan. In terms of asset quality, the non-performing loan ratio was 0.68%, ranking first among listed city commercial banks, with a provision coverage ratio of 433.08%, also among the top.

In profitability, Chengdu Bank has maintained steady growth in recent years. The latest financial report shows that in the first three quarters of 2025, the bank achieved operating income of 17.761 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.01%; net profit attributable to shareholders was 9.493 billion yuan, up 5.03% year-on-year.

However, it is noteworthy that Chengdu Bank’s growth momentum is gradually weakening. From 2022 to 2024, the bank’s operating income growth rate declined for three consecutive years, with year-on-year increases of 13.14%, 7.22%, and 5.89%, respectively. In the first three quarters of 2025, the growth further narrowed to 3.01%. Notably, in the third quarter of 2025, quarterly revenue declined by 2.92 year-on-year, marking the first single-quarter negative growth since listing.

The net profit attributable to shareholders also showed a clear slowdown. From 2022 to 2024, the year-on-year growth rates were 28.24%, 16.22%, and 10.17%, respectively. In the first three quarters of 2025, it shrank to a single-digit 5.03%.

Overall, the pressure on Chengdu Bank’s performance may be related to industry-wide factors such as narrowing interest rate spreads and its business structure. About 80% of its revenue depends on net interest income, which, although still positive in absolute terms, is experiencing a continuous slowdown in growth. Non-interest income accounts for a relatively small share among 17 listed city commercial banks, especially compared to leading peers, limiting its contribution to revenue.

The core profitability indicator, net interest margin, has fallen from 2.04% in 2022 to 1.62% in the first half of 2025. The net interest spread has also decreased from 2% to 1.59%. Under the environment of deepening interest rate marketization and policies favoring the real economy, traditional profit models relying on interest rate spreads are becoming increasingly difficult.

It is also worth noting that in December 2025, the Sichuan Financial Regulatory Bureau issued a hefty fine of 7.98 million yuan to Chengdu Bank. The penalties covered core businesses such as loans, deposits, discounts, and bills. The punishment involved the head office and 15 branches, with 13 branch managers and responsible persons receiving warnings and fines simultaneously, indicating that compliance risks are not isolated to individual institutions.

As a veteran deeply involved in Chengdu’s local finance, Huang Jianjun’s return to his old employer has attracted market attention. Whether he can strengthen his advantages and, through optimizing business structure and other measures, break through growth bottlenecks to lead this leading western city commercial bank toward higher-quality sustainable development remains a focus for Phoenix Finance’s “Bank Financial Eye.”