China Merchants Banks   http://www.cmbchina.com Under the ratification of The People's Bank of China and funded by the China Merchants Bureau, China Merchants Bank was established in Shenzhen on April 8, 1987. It was China's first joint-stock commercial bank invested in and set up by an enterprise. Under the ratification of The People's Bank of China, the China Merchants Bank enlarged its share-issue and increased its assets in 1998. At that time, the Bank held 108 shareholding units and had registered capital of RMB 4.2 billion. By Dec. 31, 1999, gross assets of the China Merchants Bank approximated RMB180.28 billion, while accumulative profits were up to 16 RMB billion, which made a substantial contribution to the national economy's construction and social development. China Merchants Bank enjoys a solid reputation at home and abroad and has been ranked as one of the top 1,000 banks around the world for four consecutive years since 1996. According to the latest survey of the world's top 1000 banks released by the British magazine Bankers, China Merchants Bank placed among the top 300 for the first time. European Currency magazine listed the proceeds from the rate of capital stock for China Merchants Bank higher than that of any other Asian bank. In 1995, China Merchants Bank was a pioneer in personal financing with the launch of its "Yikatong" card, an all-in-one card. A year later, China Merchants Bank took the lead in realizing nationwide automatic deposits and withdrawals for savings accounts. A variant of their IC card was also launched in the same year, allowing for automatic deposits and withdrawals for corporate business. In February 1998, China Merchants Bank launched its "Yiwangtong" card, an all-in-one Net card, and became the first bank in China to provide online banking services. In the same year, the Bank launched its ATM nationwide automatic withdrawal network and POS nationwide consumption network, and a modern nationwide financing service network for individuals was born. Under the strong support of advanced R&D, the number of issued "Yikatong" cards has soared and become the Bank's leading product. According to a survey of "Popular Brands among Urban Consumers in 34 Major Cities", jointly conducted by CCTV and the News & Information Center of People's Daily, the "Yikatong" card is the most popular bank card in China. In 1999, the Merchants Bank of China took the lead in starting up a comprehensive online banking services system, including online enterprise banking, online individual banking, online securities, an online mall and online payment. In January 2000, the China Merchants Bank Web site was awarded as one of "China's Top Ten Web Sites" in the category of finance & securities by the Organization Committee of the China Internet Network Contest.