China Construction Bank Corp will embrace promising opportunities in the commodities market and bond and stock financing services, chairman Guo Shuqing said.

CCB, the world's second-largest lender by market capitalisation, would "speed up reform" by reducing its reliance on loans and move into other financial services, Guo said.

"We are not very ambitious in expanding overseas while the domestic financial market offers huge growth potential," he said.

His comments came after the bank last week reported first-quarter results that showed net income rose 34 percent from a year ago to 47.2 billion yuan (HK$56.4 billion).

Net interest income rose 25 percent to 71.6 billion yuan while net fee and commissions surged 37 percent to 23.2 billion yuan.

Guo said the results were achieved on the back of robust economic growth, rising interest rate spreads and improved pricing power after the central government cut lending targets this year

"However, the 30 per cent or so profit growth would not be sustainable in the long run," he said. "Loans' share of total income has been declining. Large companies tend to use direct financing more often."

To cope with the change, the bank is changing its focus to providing investment banking services to these clients, according to Guo.

The lender's consultancy fee income from mergers and acquisitions, debt restructuring, share listing and other financing-related businesses reached 2.62 billion yuan last year, up 154 per cent from 2009.

As regulators tighten their grip on loans to cool inflation, the central government has simplified the process for companies to sell bonds as a way to address their capital needs.

Guo said the bank also had a role to play in the promising commodity futures market.

"China is the biggest consumer of commodities, yet [trade volume in] our futures market only accounts for about 10 per cent in the world," he said. "We should quicken the pace to develop the market."

Commercial banks have been actively seeking approval from regulators to tap into the futures trade margin custodian and settlement businesses, as well as allow them to hedge and provide brokerage and market-making services.

CCB was considering participating in the futures market, hedging its exposure to borrowers whose businesses bore the risk of commodity price fluctuations or advising their clients on hedging, said Mao Yumin, a controller of investment and wealth management, at a forum last year.

The bank would like to "grasp the golden chances" brought by Shanghai's growth as an international financial hub, the gradual liberalisation of interest and exchange rates and the yuan's greater convertibility under capital accounts, Guo said.

附译文：建行：拓展新的业务增长点

中国建设银行董事长郭树清日前表示，建设银行将加速改革，减少对信贷的依赖，把握机遇发展商品市场、债券市场和证券市场的金融服务。“目前国内金融市场增长潜力巨大，建行海外发展计划有限，没有雄心勃勃。”郭树清说道。

建设银行目前是全球市值第二大银行。上周，该行公布了一季度业绩，净利润同比增长34%至472亿元人民币。实现利息净收入716亿元人民币，较上年同期增长25%；手续费及佣金净收入增长37%至232亿元人民币。

郭树清谈到，建行能保持高速发展的主要原因有：国民经济增长速度较快，利差进一步扩大，同时今年信贷规模缩小后，银行的议价能力有所提升。“当然30%左右的高速增幅长远看来是不可持续的。”

当监管机构加大对信贷资源的管控以应对通胀之时，政府简化了公司发债的审批流程，以满足融资需求。郭树清说：“大型企业更倾向于直接融资，贷款在总收益中的占比也在不断下降。”考虑到这些因素，建行将很愿意为大客户提供投资银行业务。据了解，建行去年在并购重组、债务重组、上市及再融资顾问等新型财务顾问方面的收入达26.20亿元，同比增幅为154%。

郭树清还表示，商品期货市场发展前景好，建行将加大在这一领域的发展。“中国最大的大宗商品消费国，然而期货市场（交易量）很小，仅占全球的10%左右。我们应该加快发展期货市场。”

如今商业银行竞相争取监管机构批准，试图开展期货交易保证金托管和结算业务，同时也希望开展对冲业务，提供经纪人和做市商服务。

去年，建行投资和财富管理总监毛裕民在参加一次论坛时表示，建行正在考虑开展期货市场业务，希望帮助企业客户规避大宗商品价格波动风险，同时保障建行自身信贷资产安全。

目前，中国金融市场体系正在加速发展。上海有望成为新的国际金融中心，利率汇率逐渐市场化，人民币在资本项下的可兑换得到推进。郭树清说：“建行将会牢牢把握这一黄金时期”，加速发展，深化改革。