Before the Communist occupation of mainland China there were already numerous foreign banks operating in commercial centers such as Shanghai.
隨著國際貿易日益頻繁，銀行為了提供各地客戶快速便捷的服務，並拓展業務，便紛紛跨出國門，在海外設立分支機構。中國大陸淪陷以前，上海等大商埠就設有外商銀行。