Before the deadline for major reforms in small and medium-sized banks' wealth management, the regulatory stance has become somewhat ambiguous.

Recently, when reporters inquired about the progress of reducing the scale of existing wealth management products, they received inconsistent responses from asset management and wealth management departments of many small and medium-sized banks in Zhejiang, Jilin, Jiangxi, Gansu, Shaanxi and other regions: Some said, "Basically no longer reducing", while others said, "Still declining in a disguised manner". Previously, some regulatory authorities in certain regions had required small and medium-sized banks without established wealth management companies to clear their existing self-operated wealth management scale by the end of 2026. However, the reporters found that the regulatory tone in some regions is currently undergoing subtle changes, with some banks not stopping the issuance of new self-operated wealth management products this year. "Currently, the regulatory stance has become somewhat vague, and they are not so strict about requiring small and medium-sized banks to reduce their wealth management scale within their jurisdiction. Our bank has been stabilizing its scale this year," said Li Wei, the General Manager of the Wealth Management Department of a city commercial bank in the eastern region. Another person from the asset management department of a city commercial bank in the same province told reporters, "The requirement to clear the scale to zero is not that strict, but the regulatory authorities still require a reduction in wealth management scale." Obviously, the regulatory requirements and standards vary in different regions. Several small and medium-sized bank personnel admitted to reporters, "The regulatory stance in different regions is quite different, and the differences are significant." This regional regulatory difference has led to some banks continuing to reduce their scale, while others have been given breathing room.