The bank operates 163 branches in the mainland, and 1,252 sub-branches, located in economically developed regions of China.

[1][needs update] In 1984, the chairman of CITIC group at the time, Rong Yiren (荣毅仁), requested that the Chinese government create a banking division under his company, to fully embody the needs for foreign exchange.

[2] China CITIC Bank's businesses flourished in the first decade of the 21st century.

In July 2002, the bank improved its international standing by ranking 291st on the "Top 1000 World Banks" list released by The Banker magazine of the United Kingdom, ranking within the top 300 for the first time.

On 27 April 2007, China CITIC Bank was listed on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges.