Agencies and staff reporter

Bank of China (3988) vice chairman and president Liu Jin resigned for personal reasons effective on Sunday, the bank said, after a little more than three years in the job.

The state-owned lender said in a statement that its board had approved chairman Ge Haijiao to serve as acting president.

On August 19, Liu was the only director absent from a board meeting "due to other arrangements", according to a BOC filing.

He also did not appoint any other director to attend and vote on his behalf. Liu's absence sparked speculations and the president was then said to have retired in advance.

Liu, aged 57, has held senior roles at major Chinese banks, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (1398) and China Development Bank. He served as president of China Everbright Bank before joining Bank of China as vice chairman and president in 2021. Liu was also a director of BOC Hong Kong (2388) before stepping down.

During Liu's time working for BOC, he was also a partner of ex-chairman Liu Liange.

Liu Liange was put on trial earlier this year for taking more than 121 million yuan (HK$132 million) of bribes from 2010 to 2023, according to prosecutors. He was put under a probe by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in March 2023.

In April, China kicked off new anti-graft inspections of some of its largest lenders, the central bank and regulators, the first broad probe since a round in 2021 that sent shock-waves through the industry.

More than 100 top executives have been ensnared in the probes, with several handed suspended death sentences and one executed.

Liu Jin has held senior roles at major Chinese banks. Bloomberg

Bank of China president quits