IsChinahavingasubprimecrisis?

Is China experiencing a subprime crisis? You can be forgiven for thinking so. A dozen Chinese fintech companies listed in the US, Hong Kong and China have seen their share prices halve, or worse, in just six months. Worse still, 120-plus P2P lenders have shut shop in the past two months alone, having cost retail investors many billions of yuan. 

Last December I wrote a book, entitled “Chasing Subprime Crisis: How China’s Fintech Is Thriving”. Now a newspaper is asking if I should prepare a eulogy for the sector. 

“Absolutely not” is my rebuttal. The leaders in the sector are badly bruised but will survive the storm. After all, those that have recently collapsed are either weaker players, or Ponzi schemes. With these spoilers gone (or going to be gone), the sector’s outlook is only going to get better.