Three Regions, Three Tenors: Regional Heterogeneity in Consumer Loan Preferences across China

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-992-6_36How to use a DOI?

Keywords

loan tenor preference; consumer finance; data analysis; regional heterogeneity; COVID-19

Abstract

This study investigates regional heterogeneity in consumer loan term preferences, capital demand intensity, and sales strategies utilizing credit transaction data from April to August 2020 across three major Chinese regions: East China, South China, and Northwest China. Our analysis reveals distinct patterns: East China demonstrates a strong preference for 6-month and 12-month loans, characterized by high average transaction values and rapid turnover, reflecting robust cash flow and high consumption density. South China exhibits a predominant demand for small-value, 18-month loans, aligning with its export-oriented trade cycles and necessitating precise risk control mechanisms. Northwest China presents a dualistic structure, coexisting short-term large loans and long-term small loans, indicative of intra-regional developmental imbalances. We propose a Capital Demand Intensity Index (CDII) to quantify regional capital needs and derive differentiated sales strategies. To address potential biases from the atypical post-lockdown period, we contextualize findings within the unique liquidity conditions of 2020 and supplement with robustness checks. These findings provide a practical foundation for the regional customization and risk management of consumer finance products, ultimately enhancing the precision and efficiency of financial services directed towards the real economy.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Jiayi Xue
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/20
TI  - Three Regions, Three Tenors: Regional Heterogeneity in Consumer Loan Preferences across China
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 4th International Conference on Mathematical Statistics and Economic Analysis (MSEA 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 386
EP  - 396
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-992-6_36
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-992-6_36
ID  - Xue2026
ER  -