Central Huijin Investment Co, an investment arm of China's sovereign wealth fund, is likely to ask State-run lenders to pare dividend payouts, or reinvest the dividend proceeds accrued to it in any likely new share sales undertaken by the banks next year, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

This is the investment unit's latest effort to help augment the capital position of major Chinese lenders, which are reportedly facing a capital shortage due to the massive lending spree seen so far this year.

"As the largest shareholder of the nation's three biggest listed banks, Huijin may propose to lower the proportion of dividends to be allocated to shareholders at the board meeting of these banks next year," the source told China Daily yesterday on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter.