Xiao Gang may have retired as head of the securities regulator, but his roles as a former Bank of China head and ex-central bank deputy governor make him someone worth paying attention to. At a meeting on the sidelines of the “Two Sessions” on Thursday, Xiao, who is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), highlighted problems in the regulatory setup covering online microlenders. Minecraft pe hunger games map download link.

Small loans granted by licensed online lenders, especially to individuals, are an important part of government strategy to boost consumption and promote inclusive finance. But Xiao said the current rules aren’t suitable to foster the industry.

Such lenders are supervised by local financial authorities where they are registered, but they often operate across administrative boundaries. That gives rise to contradiction and potential conflict, he said. “It’s inappropriate to have local regulators supervise such businesses,” he said, recommending that regulators take a differentiated supervisory approach when granting licenses to online microlenders. Some local regulators have put rules in place that actually restrict online microlenders’ ability to operate across different provinces. In January, the banking regulator in East China’s Zhejiang province that prevent local branches of city banks based in the province from granting online loans to clients outside the province when they do so jointly with third parties. It also banned banks from outsourcing essential credit reviews and risk management procedures to online microlenders. Online microlending platforms usually give out small, short-term loans — mostly in a range of 1,000 to 2,000 yuan ($150 to $300) — to consumers with low incomes, including migrant workers and couriers.

To expand their operations, some lenders also team up with traditional banks, which also helps the banks bring in more customers. Just as mom-and-pop investors are eagerly jumping back into the stock market thanks to this year’s dramatic turnaround, many major shareholders of listed companies are marching toward the exit door. So far this year, more than 350 listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen have given notice that a major shareholder will sell at least some of its shares in their companies, with 161 such notices issued since March 1, according to data compiled by Caixin. Those 161 notices announced stock sales worth 8.37 billion yuan ($1.25 billion) in total. Under current financial regulations, a listed company is required to disclose when a major shareholder has decided to sell some stock in the company.

A brokerage strategist said that investors should play close attention to share-sale disclosures from institutional investors, founders and major shareholders because they know more about the companies they have invested in than the typical mom-and-pop stock picker. Analysts say that the share sales have been driven by an abrupt about-face in Chinese mainland stock markets this year, along with the end of mandated lock-up periods for several stocks. In addition, many companies have acknowledged in their disclosures that their major shareholders are selling stock to repay loans made with pledged shares. Rapid growth in pledged-share loans played a significant role in mainland stock markets’ dismal performance in 2018. This year, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has rebounded, rising 25% since Jan. 1 before that saw it drop 4.4%. Tesla’s “Gigafactory” in Shanghai has secured loans of up to 3.5 billion yuan ($520 million) from Chinese banks, according to the to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the U.S.

The electric car maker disclosed that it has signed a syndicated loan agreement with local branches of banks including China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. The funds, available until next March, will be borrowed at favorable rates. The interest rate of loans in Chinese yuan will be 90% of the one-year standard rate set by the People’s Bank of China, while the rate is 1% higher than Libor for USD-denominated loans. The loans from local banks will be used for the construction of Tesla’s factory, expected to be finished by May, with the production of vehicles and batteries to begin by the end of 2019. Automaker broke ground in January on the outskirts of Shanghai. Chinese electric-vehicle startup WM Motor raised 3 billion yuan ($446 million) in series C funding led by tech giant Baidu, the company.