SHANGHAI -- The balance of loans in the Yangtze River Delta region was 61.2 trillion yuan (about $8.5 trillion) at the end of May, up 13.8 percent year-on-year.

Of the total, the balance of loans in Chinese yuan reached 60.05 trillion yuan at the end of May, up 14.5 percent year-on-year, according to the People's Bank of China Shanghai Head Office.

The balance of foreign currency loans in the region was $162.4 billion at the end of May, down 19.7 percent year-on-year.

The balance of the region's deposits stood at 73.17 trillion yuan by the end of May, up 12.1 percent compared to a year ago, according to the data.