BEIJING, April 29 -- China's tech small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) enjoyed better access to bank loans in the first quarter of 2026, central bank data showed Wednesday.

A total of 303,300 tech SMEs obtained loans by the end of Q1, with the loan approval rate reaching 50.4 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from the end of 2025, according to the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

The outstanding loans in both Chinese and foreign currencies to tech SMEs stood at 4.03 trillion yuan (about 587.4 billion U.S. dollars), up 20.9 percent year on year, it added.

The PBOC also reported that 294,600 high-tech enterprises received loan support by the end of March, with an approval rate of 58.6 percent, up 1.3 percentage points from the end of last year. Outstanding loans to high-tech enterprises reached 20.96 trillion yuan, up 13.6 percent year on year.

Green loans continued to steadily increase. Outstanding green loans totaled 48.1 trillion yuan by the end of Q1, up 17.6 percent year on year.

Inclusive loans to micro and small businesses also grew at a steady pace. Outstanding RMB-denominated inclusive loans to micro and small enterprises stood at 38.38 trillion yuan, up 10.3 percent year on year, 4.6 percentage points higher than the growth rate of total loans, the PBOC said.