China Banking Association: Bank International Settlement Volume Topped $13 Trillion in 2025

The headline number matters less than its composition: the association credits policy support alongside the real-economy base, which suggests trade finance growth is being actively cultivated rather than simply tracking trade flows. That framing puts Chinese banks' settlement infrastructure at the center of cross-border activity, with implications for correspondent banking and currency usage that the report itself does not quantify. Whether the policy-driven portion of that growth is sustainable once support normalizes is the open question.