Pingtan Rural Commercial Bank, Fujian province, recently granted a loan of 1.6 million yuan ($246,000) to a Taiwan investor surnamed Xue, who wants to do fish breeding in Pingtan, ptnet.cn reported May 12.

The loan was the first of its kind in the zone that has been successfully given to a Taiwan borrower.

A difficulty?was encountered in dealing with the loan as there was a credit check on the applicant. However, the problem got sorted out, as the bank cooperated with the Shanghai Credit Information Services Co, which allows it to check credit records of Taiwan individuals and companies.

This kind of credit check service will greatly improve banks' work efficiency and make it easier for Taiwan-funded enterprises to apply for loans in Pingtan, which helps promote the development of those companies.

So far, a total of 15 financial institutions in Pingtan, including the Rural Commercial Bank, have reached such a deal with the Shanghai Credit Information Services Co, which may help attract more Taiwan entrepreneurs to expand business in the zone.