China launches criminal probe into ‘insolvent’ shadow bank 2023.11.28……【Press】【U.S.,UK】1.AP, Police are investigating suspected crimes of a Chinese wealth company owned by Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, according to the Beijing Public Security Bureau, days after the firm told investors it was insolvent.In a statement published on the social media platform WeChat over the weekend, the police said they had taken “criminal enforcement measures” against several suspects to investigate and had urged affected investors to lodge a complaint.“Investors are requested to actively cooperate with the police in investigating and collecting evidence and safeguard their rights and interests through legal channels,” the statement said.Authorities did not specify what crimes they were investigating. In the past, defaults or other troubles in the financial sector have prompted protests by aggrieved investors.Zhongzhi, which is based in Beijing, did not immediately respond to an email for comment and phone calls to a number listed for the company did not connect.The investigation came after media reports last week that Zhongzhi had apologized to investors in a letter, saying it was insolvent with up to $64 billion in liabilities. That far exceeds its total assets of about $28 billion.2.CNN, Chinese officials have launched an investigation into one of the country’s biggest shadow banks, which has lent billions to real estate firms.Zhongzhi Enterprise Group (ZEG) has an asset management arm that at its peak reportedly handled more than a trillion yuan ($139bn; £110bn).Authorities said they are investigating “suspected illegal crimes” against the firm, in a statement on the weekend.This comes days after reports that ZEG had declared it was insolvent.The struggling firm reportedly told investors in a letter last week that its liabilities – up to $64bn – had outstripped its assets, now estimated at about $38bn.While authorities said they had taken “criminal coercive measures” against “many suspects” it’s still unclear who they are, and what role they play in the firm. The company’s founder, Xie Zhikun, died of a heart attack in 2021.ZEG is a major player in China’s shadow banking industry, a term for a system of lenders, brokers and other credit intermediaries who fall outside the realm of traditional regulated banking. Shadow banking, which is unregulated, is not subject to the same kinds of risk, liquidity and capital restrictions as traditional banks.➤【美国,英国】中植系财富平台困扰中国最大的私营金融集团之一的麻烦进一步加深，中植目前已成为刑事调查的焦点。当局周末表示，北京警方已开始对中植企业集团财富管理部门进行调查。该公告是在该公司告诉投资者其“严重资不抵债”几天后发布的。根据周六发布的一份声明，警方怀疑中植犯有“非法犯罪”，并对包括一名谢姓在内的多名嫌疑人采取了“刑事强制措施”。据中国官方媒体报道，该组织创始人解直锟于 2021 年 12 月因心脏病去世，但他的侄子在该组织中担任要职。警方表示，“请投资者积极配合警方调查取证”，但没有详细说明犯罪行为或采取的措施。根据中国刑事诉讼法，“刑事强制措施”包括取保候审、软禁、拘留、逮捕等各种形式。中植控股近十几家资产及财富管理公司。周三，该公司在一封信中告诉投资者，该公司背负着“巨额债务”，无法支付所有账单。其总负债高达 4600 亿元人民币（650 亿美元），而资产为 2000 亿元人民币。中国国有新闻媒体援引中植在信中表示， “流动性枯竭，资产减值严重” 。“初步尽职调查显示，该集团严重资不抵债，并且存在重大的持续经营风险，”中植为其财务困境致歉，并表示，自2021年创始人去世以及随后高管辞职以来，该公司一直在与“低效”的内部管理作斗争。该组织周一没有回应置评请求。