OREANDA-NEWS. June 28, 2013. Since January this year, with an aim in helping promotion and development of  small-and-medium merchants, ICBC steps up its support to private business owners and individual industrial and commercial households, backed by its new service platform "ICBC Merchant Friends Club" to ensure delivery of a wide array of innovative financial products and services.

As of today, there are over 8 million members of "ICBC Merchant Friends Club", about 1.9 million members more than the figure from the beginning of 2013, representing a jump of more than 30%.

Since the first "ICBC Merchant Friends Club" established on April 8, 2010 in Haining, Zhejiang province, the Club, a new service platform, moves at an impressive pace nationwide with its super-value and convenient services, said an executive with ICBC. As of today, ICBC has set up 3400+ "ICBC Merchant Friends Club" nationwide, providing door-to-door services to merchants in 5100+ merchandize marts across the country through this nationwide service network spanning all counties.

Meanwhile, in order for "ICBC Merchant Friends Club" to better serve the members, besides the exclusive services and special services (discount on settlement/collection, easy access to loan, good income from wealth management), ICBC consolidates many products and services (corporate loan, SME loan, cash settlement and management, international banking, credit card, private banking, precious metal) to offer all-inclusive and multi-functional financial products and services. More and more merchants are now using the Club as a main channel to access financial services.

During the last few years, many kinds of large merchandize marts (clothing, leather, hardware, building materials, aquatic products, flowers) or industry clusters have been gathering steam in all corners of China. They are the important forces in driving the transformation and upgrade of consumer spending and coordinated economic development. These special markets are clusters of small merchants.

In view of this special point, ICBC leverages its "ICBC Merchant Friends Club" to group the customers into different market segments, build new customer relation model and focus on targeted products and service innovation. The aim is to offer financial services (settlement, financing, information inquiry and others) to cater specifically for this type of customers and help them achieve smooth progress, upgrade and transformation.

Eligible commercial customers, once filling in the membership registration forms to join the "ICBC Merchant Friends Club", are entitled to a range of heartfelt and discounted services designed and customized to the different needs of the merchant groups. ICBC steps up its product innovation and service optimization in order to provide more comprehensive products and services to the expanding customer base. All members receive "Merchant Friend Card". Merchant Friend Link, Merchant Friend Loan, Merchant Friend Wealth, Merchant Friend Road, Merchant Friend Joy are some of the exclusive products and services warmly welcomed by the members with all the functions under different categories.