China Construction Bank (CCB) and online wholesale marketplace DHgate.com have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to launch online microloans program for small businesses.
The initial phase of this partnership will see the joint development of a new line of credit products designed to help China’s international export-oriented small and medium enterprises (SMEs) overcome financing barriers, said DHgate.com.
The ‘eMicro’ network of credit products leverages DHgate.com’s transactional data to evaluate a business’s order opportunities, rather than relying on traditional credit criteria. The new scheme not only expected to lower the entry barrier for SMEs and provides incentives to improve their quality and service for the international market, it also gives international buyers a wider variety of product options.
In this initial phase, registered suppliers on DHgate.com will be eligible to apply for the ‘eMicro’ finance products. DHgate.com will facilitate the loans by accumulating application submissions to CCB, analyzing sellers’ transactional data and credit records, and working with CCB’s online credit check systems.
Diane Wang, CEO of DHgate.com, said: “We are very pleased to partner with China Construction Bank to provide microloans, which are essential to online business growth. For the majority of DHgate.com’s SME suppliers, this will undoubtedly help drive business innovation, benefitting our larger international community. This microloan program has a very real social impact.”
Gu Jing Pu, wholesale business director at CCB, said: “Internet banking is the foundation through which we provide customers full access of our online financial services operation platform. This breakthrough reduces the risk of bank credit for SMEs, and staff concerns about higher transaction costs.”