Chinese bank refutes rumor about third-child loan

A Bank of China branch in East China’s Jiangxi Province refuted the rumor on Sunday that it is offering loans for couples if they have a third child, shortly after China on Monday announced a new policy allowing each couple to have up to three children.

Bank of China Jiangxi branch said in the statement on Friday that “based on the current evaluation, there is no plan to launch such loans as the existing consumer loan products can already cover the corresponding demand.”

The statement came after a poster about childbirth loans reportedly issued by Bank of China Jiangxi branch went viral on social media.

Under the loan scheme, married individuals can ask for a loan of up to100,000 yuan ($15,630) for the first child, 200,000 yuan for the second child and 300,000 yuan for a third child, according to the picture circulating online.

Applicants must be married, aged 20 to 50 and the wife must have been pregnant for at least six months or have a child under 2 years old. The one-year annualized interest rate is 4.85 percent and the loan can only be used for consumption expenses needed for childbirth and raising children and cannot be put toward buying houses, speculating in stocks, finance or other business activities.

In recent years, Chinese banks have made great efforts to promote consumer loans in specific areas. For example, some banks have launched products such as “wedding gift loans” and "cemetery loans.”