According to the statistics released by the Ministry of Education, in 2004, nearly 100,000 people studied abroad at their own expenses. From application to trip, financial services provided by banks are essential. As increasing people plan to study abroad, they are drawing the attention of major banks as a potential market. To this end, banks promote various financial services targeting customers to study abroad.

On January 6th, China Everbright Bank Promotional Conference of Financial Services for Going Abroad was held. Guests who attended the conference included Liu Yingbin (Chief of the Division of Beijing Exit–entry Administration), Wu Yuanyuan (Director of China Education Promotion Department of the Culture and Education Section of the British Embassy in Beijing), Mr. Cao Guisheng (the Board Chairman of Beijing Jinjilie Studying Abroad Consulting Co. Ltd), Mr. Liu Erdong (Director of the Studying Abroad Center of the International Association of Education), Ms. Zhou Ling, (Senior Manager of the Northern and Mongolian Regional Office of American Express), Mr. Liu Junfeng (Director of the Bank Insurance Department of the Beijing Branch of AIA China), and Mr. Zhang Yongqi (President of Global IELTS Institution).

As the only official domestic financial institution designated by the Culture and Education Section of the British Embassy to fully participate in the British Education Promotion program, China Everbright Bank (CEB) has drawn broad attention from foreign counterparts, agencies for studying abroad, students and parents since it launched the “Traveling Abroad Link” in August, 2005,.

Traveling Abroad Link provides one-stop financial services to students studying in Britain, including submission of documents for VISA application on behalf of the customer, deposit certificate, Sunshine International Credit Card, individual purchase of exchange, studying abroad loan, foreign exchange trading, offshore remittance, traveler’s check, wealth management plan, and opening of offshore account. These carefully designed financial products are safe, convenient and user-friendly, so as to minimize unnecessary trips of the customer and simplify financial procedures.

As explained by the relevant department head of CEB, samples of such financial certificates as deposit certificate signed by authorized personnel of CEB and fixed deposit have already been put on records at the visa issuance department of the British Embassy, and the authenticity of above documents are guaranteed by the bank, which will greatly boost the probability for the customer to be issued visa. In addition, CEB is currently in cooperation with Barclays Bank and ANZ to provide comprehensive and continuous financial services to students studying abroad. So far, CEB has set up financial service centers for going abroad in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Qingdao and Taiyuan. More centers will be set up in other cities soon.

Surveys show that students and parents prioritize efficiency and simplicity when choosing financial services for going abroad. They unanimously agree that Traveling Abroad Link of CEB is of much greater appeal than the complicated models. Experts on studying abroad also state that, thank to its good credit and standard services, professional financial services provided by the bank give a strong sense of security to students studying abroad, and are more reliable to foreign institutions and embassies.