China asks banks to pause new loans to US-sanctioned refiners: report

Published May 7, 2026 Updated May 7, 2026 07:38am

China’s financial regulator has advised the country’s largest lenders to temporarily suspend new loans to five refineries recently sanctioned by the US over their ties to Iranian oil, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter, according to Reuters.

The National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA) has in a verbal guidance asked the banks to refrain from extending new yuan-denominated loans, the report said, but not to call in existing credit.

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