BEIJING -- Bank of China saw accelerated growth in domestic yuan-denominated loans in the first half of the year, according to the bank on Wednesday.

During the period, domestic yuan-denominated loans increased by 1.46 trillion yuan ($203.3 billion) from the end of 2022, the bank said, with that expansion hitting a record high.

The interest rate of the loans fell 43 basis points year-on-year, the bank noted.

To meet the needs of the real economy, it will continue to expand the scale of new loans and improve the stability and sustainability of the growth of loans, according to the bank.