A file photo shows a pedestrian walking past the headquarters building of the People's Bank of China in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua)
BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The number of China's micro-credit companies stood at 6,566 at the end of September, down from 6,686 registered at the end of June, data from the People's Bank of China showed.
Their outstanding loans reached 935.3 billion yuan (146.14 billion U.S. dollars), including 48.8 billion yuan of new loans made in the first three quarters of the year.
Micro-lenders largely target small companies and low-income groups in need of capital. In recent years, China has tightened regulations for the sector to rein in financial risks.
The central bank data shows that east China's Jiangsu Province had 571 micro-credit companies by the end of September, the highest number in any provincial-level region. Enditem
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