THE total domestic assets of China's financial institutions in the banking sector hit a record high of 105.71 trillion yuan (US$16.61 trillion) at the end of September, up 16.6 percent year on year, the regulator said yesterday.

Their combined liabilities totaled 98.96 trillion yuan at the end of September, a rise of 16.1 percent on an annual basis, the China Banking Regulatory Commission said.

According to preliminary data, domestic assets of the country's large-scale commercial banks climbed 12.2 percent from a year earlier to 50.5 trillion yuan, while their liabilities grew 11.7 percent year on year to 47.32 trillion yuan, the CBRC said.