Electronic Banking & ATM in China

Electronic banking

In 1994, China started the "Golden Card Project," enabling cards issued by banks to be used all over the country through a network. The establishment of the China Association of Banks rapidly promoted the inter-bank card network and by the end of 2004, the inter-region-inter-bank network had reached 600 cities, including all prefecture-level cities and more than 300 economically developed county-level cities.

International ATMs

PRC citizens may apply for an international ATM card corresponding to an interbank network such as Cirrus or PLUS, but foreign residents may not. Foreign residents in PRC, however, may use such interbank networks at ATMs in PRC through ATM cards procured in foreign countries.

Interbank ATMs are common throughout the country, especially in densely-populated urban areas such as Beijing.