PBOC and NFRA rules: assess your mobile banking app before every release.

The PBOC standard JR/T 0092 and Notice 237 require annual external assessments and real-name filing for mobile financial apps, and the PBOC standard JR/T 0171 sets encryption, masking and annual testing duties for personal financial information. PBOC's 2025 data security measures add an inventory of APIs and security testing before changes go live, and NFRA's 2024 measures say identity authentication data must never be stored, transmitted or displayed in plain text. Ostorlab tests your app and the APIs behind it, behind login, on every release.

  • Assesses the store build and the APIs it calls, including security testing before an API change goes live
  • Checks tamper resistance, root and emulator detection, and what the app leaves on the device
  • Tests login, one-time codes and transaction verification with your test accounts
  • Lists the SDKs and native libraries in each release and maps them to known vulnerabilities
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Who it applies to
Banks and other financial institutions in mainland China, and the mobile finance apps they operate
Legal basis
PBOC financial industry standards JR/T 0092-2019, JR/T 0068-2020 and JR/T 0171-2020, plus the PBOC and NFRA data security measures
Key date
PBOC data security measures in force from 30 June 2025; the amended Cybersecurity Law in force from 1 January 2026
Focus
Mobile app security, annual external assessment, financial app filing, personal financial information protection and API security testing
Key dates

How China's mobile finance rules took shape

The PBOC standards set the app baseline, the data security measures add the API and data duties, and MIIT and NIFA run the filing systems. The dates below are for the texts cited on this page.

  1. 27 September 2019

    JR/T 0092-2019 and Notice 237

    PBOC issues the Mobile financial client application software security management specification together with Notice 银发〔2019〕237号. It sets security and management requirements for mobile finance apps, requires an external assessment at least once a year, and starts real-name filing through the National Internet Finance Association of China. (Chinese text)

  2. 13 February 2020

    JR/T 0171-2020

    PBOC issues the Personal financial information protection technical specification together with Notice 银发〔2020〕45号. It classifies personal financial information into C3, C2 and C1 categories and sets lifecycle requirements, including an annual security check or assessment of the systems that handle it. (Chinese text)

  3. 21 July 2023

    MIIT app filing

    The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology requires app providers that run internet information services in mainland China to file through their network access provider or app store. Existing apps had to file by 31 March 2024, and new apps must file before they start service. (Chinese text)

  4. 27 December 2024

    NFRA data security measures

    NFRA issues the Measures for Data Security Management of Banking and Insurance Institutions (金规〔2024〕24号), in force on publication. They require security testing before systems go live, isolation of test environments, and no plain text storage, transmission or display of personal identity authentication data. (Chinese text)

  5. 1 May 2025

    PBOC data security measures

    PBOC publishes Order No. 3 [2025], the Measures for Data Security Management in the PBOC Business Domain, in force from 30 June 2025. They require an inventory of front-end gateways and APIs, security testing before an API change goes live, encryption of high sensitivity data, and annual risk assessments for important data. (Chinese text)

  6. 28 October 2025

    Cybersecurity Law amended

    The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress adopts amendments to the Cybersecurity Law, in force from 1 January 2026. They add provisions on the safe development of artificial intelligence, raise penalties, and align the law with the Data Security Law and the Personal Information Protection Law.

  7. 3 July 2026

    Draft financial industry cyber rules

    PBOC, NFRA, the CSRC and SAFE publish the draft Financial Industry Network Security Management Measures for public comment until 3 August 2026. The draft would set classified protection duties, supply chain security and incident handling across financial institutions. Proposed only, not yet in force. (Chinese text)

  8. Every year

    Assessment and filing cycle

    For funds transaction and information collection apps, the external assessment and the NIFA filing have a one year cycle, and systems that collect, store, transmit or use personal financial information need a security check or assessment at least once a year.

What the Chinese rules ask

The PBOC and NFRA rules, applied to your mobile app

For each rule: what the text says, what it means for a mobile banking app, how Ostorlab helps, and what stays with your team. Texts published only in Chinese are summarised and marked (Chinese text).

  1. PBOC Notice 银发〔2019〕237号; JR/T 0092-2019, clauses 4 to 6 (Chinese text)

    Meet the mobile app security baseline

    What the text says

    The standard applies to mobile financial client application software and covers security requirements and management requirements across design, development, maintenance and release. It sorts apps into funds transaction, information collection and information query categories. Funds transaction apps must meet all technical and management requirements, and information collection apps must focus on information protection. Each requirement is marked basic or enhanced: basic requirements are the minimum protections, and enhanced requirements are recommended. Notice 237 requires an external assessment for funds transaction apps from the funds security and information protection aspects, and for information collection apps from the information protection aspect, at least once a year, with the report kept on file.

    Source:PBOC Notice 银发〔2019〕237号; JR/T 0092-2019, clauses 4 to 6 (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    The clause list reads like a test plan for the build your customers download, from signing and tamper checks to input protection, storage and data clearing.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Mobile SAST analyses the APK, AAB or IPA directly with no source code needed. An AI-agent pentest tests the app and its APIs behind login, with a working exploit you can replay for each AI-agent finding, and Mobile Shielding Scan tests the protections at runtime.

    What stays with you

    The external assessment with an accredited certification and testing body, and the annual assessment schedule.

  2. PBOC Notice 银发〔2019〕237号; NIFA mobile financial client app filing measures and filing notices (Chinese text)

    File the app with NIFA and keep the assessment current

    What the text says

    Notice 237 asks financial institutions to take part in real-name filing of mobile finance apps through the National Internet Finance Association of China (NIFA), which runs the filing system at finapp.nifa.org.cn. Filing requires an external assessment report for funds transaction and information collection apps, a filing is valid for one year, and a major change or a filing not updated within a year triggers a new external assessment. NIFA checks annual assessments and can suspend or cancel a filing, and it has advised app stores to be cautious about distributing unfiled finance apps. NIFA reported that by the end of 2025, 844 institutions had filed 2,773 mobile finance apps.

    Source:PBOC Notice 银发〔2019〕237号; NIFA mobile financial client app filing measures and filing notices (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    Filing and the annual assessment are operational duties that repeat every year, and the assessment is evidence that a third party reviews, not a self declaration.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Ostorlab scans produce dated evidence per release that your team can attach to the external assessment and the filing update, and scans are repeatable when a new version needs a fresh assessment.

    What stays with you

    The filing itself, the relationship with the certification and testing body, and the decision on what counts as a major change.

  3. MIIT Notice 工信部信管〔2023〕105号; Cybersecurity Law as amended on 28 October 2025 (Chinese text)

    File the app with MIIT before it goes live

    What the text says

    The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology requires app providers that run internet information services in mainland China to file through their network access provider or app distribution platform. New apps must file before they start service, and existing apps had to file between September 2023 and 31 March 2024. Telecom administrations check filings on an ongoing basis, and providers that do not file may not run app internet information services. The 2025 amendment to the Cybersecurity Law also puts security management duties on application download service providers, with penalties that can include suspension of business or closure of the app.

    Source:MIIT Notice 工信部信管〔2023〕105号; Cybersecurity Law as amended on 28 October 2025 (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    A bank app is both a financial app for PBOC and NIFA purposes and an app providing internet information services for MIIT purposes. The two filing tracks are separate.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Ostorlab does not file apps. It gives you dated security evidence that supports your filing records and the security statements behind them, release after release.

    What stays with you

    The filings themselves, the store listings and the answers to the telecom administration.

  4. JR/T 0068-2020, 6.2.1; JR/T 0092-2019, 5.3.3 and 5.3.4 (Chinese text)

    Secure the client program itself

    What the text says

    Client programs must avoid risks in system components, third party components and SDKs, with selection testing where necessary. They must carry a clear application identifier and version, be signed by the app owner to show origin and publisher, and check their authenticity and integrity at startup and update to resist tampering, replacement or hijacking. They must use code obfuscation and packing, protect themselves from code injection, privilege escalation and process access, protect payment sensitive input and memory, refuse to store payment sensitive information locally, mask passwords, log out after a period without activity, apply least privilege permissions, and clear non essential data when they exit. The app must also detect its own running environment, including unauthorised administrator rights and emulators or virtual machines, feed that to the backend, and warn the user or refuse the transaction when the environment is risky.

    Source:JR/T 0068-2020, 6.2.1; JR/T 0092-2019, 5.3.3 and 5.3.4 (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    Every one of these behaviours can be tested on the released build, not only reviewed in the source code.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Mobile Shielding Scan runs the app in rooted and instrumented environments, attempts to bypass root, emulator and tamper detection and TLS pinning, and reports what the app does when a protection fails. Mobile SAST covers the code and SDK side.

    What stays with you

    Choosing and configuring your shielding product, the release signing process, and the risk policy for compromised devices.

  5. JR/T 0171-2020, 6.1 and 7.4.2 (Chinese text)

    Protect personal financial information by category

    What the text says

    The specification classifies personal financial information into C3, C2 and C1 by the harm that unauthorised viewing or change would cause. C3 covers user authentication information, including bank card track data, card verification codes, card passwords and payment transaction passwords, and personal biometric information used for user authentication. C3 information must be encrypted at rest, and C2 and C3 information must use encrypted channels or data encryption when it travels over public networks. Client apps and personal devices must not store payment sensitive information or biometric samples and templates, and may keep only the basic elements needed for the current transaction, cleared right after it. Displayed personal financial information must be masked, and development and test environments must be isolated from production and must not use real personal financial information. Systems that collect, store, transmit or use personal financial information need a security check or assessment at least once a year, including information security assessment, vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, with a new assessment when a major change or a new high risk threat appears.

    Source:JR/T 0171-2020, 6.1 and 7.4.2 (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    The app bundle, its caches, logs, screenshots and the test process are all in scope, and the annual assessment expects real testing, not a checklist.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Ostorlab looks for payment data, tokens and personal data in local storage, caches, logs and screenshots, checks transport protections, and rates and tracks each finding. Every scan is dated, so annual assessment evidence accumulates release after release.

    What stays with you

    Categorising your data, the encryption design, and the impact assessment that the specification requires for sharing, transfer or entrusted processing.

  6. JR/T 0068-2020, 6.2.3 and 6.4.2; JR/T 0092-2019, 5.1.1 and 5.5.6.3 (Chinese text)

    Verify high risk transactions and end sessions cleanly

    What the text says

    For high risk transactions, the internet banking standard requires a combination of at least two of three factor classes: something the customer knows, something only the customer holds such as an authenticated certificate, electronic signature or one time password, and a biometric factor. The factors must be independent, and damage to or leak of one must not damage another. One time passwords must have the shortest practical validity. After no more than 10 consecutive authentication failures, the login or transaction permission must be locked in a short time, with a documented way to unlock. Changing the reserved mobile number used for transaction notices and one time codes requires a counter visit or two factor authentication against the original number. Communication between client and server uses mutual authentication with keys or certificates, and the client validates the server certificate. Client programs log out automatically after inactivity, and a normal logout tells the server to end the session.

    Source:JR/T 0068-2020, 6.2.3 and 6.4.2; JR/T 0092-2019, 5.1.1 and 5.5.6.3 (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    Factor independence, one time code lifetime, lockout thresholds and server side session invalidation are all testable with your own test accounts.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Authenticated testing completes SMS, email or TOTP one time codes with your test accounts, tests MFA enforcement, step up flows and lockout behaviour, and checks token refresh, timeouts and session invalidation through the API calls behind them.

    What stays with you

    Factor choice and channel design, the unlock process, and the customer notification channels.

  7. PBOC Order No. 3 [2025], Articles 35 and 36; NFRA 金规〔2024〕24号, Articles 48 and 53 (Chinese text)

    Test APIs before a change goes live

    What the text says

    PBOC requires a dynamic inventory of the front-end gateways and application programming interfaces that provide business data, and security testing before a gateway or API change goes into production, with immediate remediation of any risk found. High sensitivity items must in principle be encrypted when transmitted to other processors, other data centres or the internet, and dedicated lines or VPNs should be preferred. NFRA requires data interactions with external parties to go through a centrally managed external platform or APIs, designed, developed, served and operated under central security management on a need to know and least privilege basis. Systems must pass security testing before going live, and test environments must be separated from production with no unmasked sensitive data.

    Source:PBOC Order No. 3 [2025], Articles 35 and 36; NFRA 金规〔2024〕24号, Articles 48 and 53 (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    Every release that touches an API is a change that needs testing before production, and the API inventory is part of the evidence.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Ostorlab intercepts the app's traffic even with TLS pinning and tests the APIs for broken authorization (BOLA, BFLA, IDOR), misuse of tokens and sessions, and abuse such as enumeration, replay and automation, with request and response evidence for each finding.

    What stays with you

    The API inventory, gateway architecture, network encryption choices and production monitoring.

  8. PBOC Order No. 3 [2025], Articles 16, 17, 20 and 33; NFRA 金规〔2024〕24号, Articles 43, 45 and 46 (Chinese text)

    Keep sensitive data off devices and out of plain text

    What the text says

    High sensitivity data items must in principle not be stored on terminal devices and removable media, and when business needs require it those scenarios are centrally listed and controlled. Data used for identity verification should in principle be verified rather than exported, and high sensitivity items should be masked when displayed. High sensitivity items must in principle not travel by email, instant messaging, online file storage or removable media. NFRA is specific about authentication data: personal identity authentication data must not be stored, transmitted or displayed in plain text, and sensitive and higher data must be deleted or destroyed beyond recovery when its retention period ends, including on terminals and media. Operation logs for core data are kept at least three years, and for important and sensitive data at least one year, and access behaviour is audited at least every six months.

    Source:PBOC Order No. 3 [2025], Articles 16, 17, 20 and 33; NFRA 金规〔2024〕24号, Articles 43, 45 and 46 (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    Plain text identity data is an explicit violation, not a hardening preference, and it is one of the easiest things a mobile test can prove.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Ostorlab finds identity data and credentials in storage, caches, logs, screenshots and app packages, validates which secrets work, and shows how the app and its SDKs exchange data with backends over the network.

    What stays with you

    Data classification, device management policies, and the deletion or destruction process.

  9. GB/T 22239-2019; PBOC Order No. 3 [2025], Article 32; NFRA 金规〔2024〕24号, Article 41 (Chinese text)

    Meet classified protection duties

    What the text says

    Network security classified protection is the base regime for information systems in China. GB/T 22239-2019 sets the general security requirements for levels 1 to 4 and the extended requirements for cloud, mobile internet, internet of things and industrial control systems. PBOC requires systems that store important data to meet level 3 classified protection and systems that store core data to meet level 4 classified protection or critical information infrastructure protection. NFRA requires banks to bring data into classified protection, divide logical security domains by data level, and protect rooms and networks that hold or transmit sensitive and higher data. JR/T 0068 points internet banking systems to the financial sector MLPS implementation guidance, JR/T 0071, for technical and management requirements, including the mobile internet extension.

    Source:GB/T 22239-2019; PBOC Order No. 3 [2025], Article 32; NFRA 金规〔2024〕24号, Article 41 (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    The level of the system behind the app sets the protection baseline, and the mobile app is part of that system's boundary.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Ostorlab tests controls in the app and its APIs and gives you dated findings and retests for the technical items of the classified protection assessment, so known app level issues do not surprise the formal evaluation.

    What stays with you

    Grading and filing of systems, the formal MLPS evaluation with a licensed assessment body, and the physical and network controls.

  10. NFRA IT outsourcing measures 银保监办发〔2021〕141号, Articles 5, 11, 17, 21, 32, 34 to 36 and 38; NFRA operational risk measures, Order No. 5 of 2023, Articles 29 to 31 (Chinese text)

    Manage outsourcing and operational risk

    What the text says

    NFRA's IT outsourcing measures say the institution cannot outsource IT management responsibility or cybersecurity responsibility. IT strategy management, IT risk management, IT internal audit and other core competitiveness functions must not be outsourced. Important outsourcing needs due diligence before the contract, contract terms that cover compliance, service continuity, audit rights, security and confidentiality and incident reporting, and security scanning of development deliverables including source code. Network and information security measures include need to know and least privilege access for provider staff, strict control of remote maintenance, continuous monitoring for sensitive data leaks, and regular security assessments of the outsourcing activity. Institutions must check important off site outsourcing on site at least every three years, run a full outsourcing risk management assessment at least once a year, and audit important outsourcing at least every three years. Major events, including leaks of customer personal information, must be reported, and if no other rule sets a deadline, within 24 hours. The operational risk measures require systems for network security, data security and outsourcing risk management, connected to business continuity.

    Source:NFRA IT outsourcing measures 银保监办发〔2021〕141号, Articles 5, 11, 17, 21, 32, 34 to 36 and 38; NFRA operational risk measures, Order No. 5 of 2023, Articles 29 to 31 (Chinese text)

    What it means for your mobile app

    Every SDK, testing vendor and cloud service your app depends on sits inside this framework, and testing evidence is how you monitor the security duty.

    How Ostorlab helps

    Ostorlab tests the app and the components inside it, lists the SDKs and native libraries in each release with their versions, and maps them to known vulnerabilities with closure tracked across releases, so third party components have evidence of their own.

    What stays with you

    Due diligence, contracts, access control for provider staff, on site checks, annual assessments and incident reporting.

Summary of public PBOC, NFRA, MIIT, NIFA and NPC texts, checked on 27 September 2026. Texts published only in Chinese are summarised and marked (Chinese text). This page is not legal advice.

Mapping

Chinese rules, control by control

The controls the PBOC, NFRA and MIIT texts point to, how Ostorlab tests them in your app and its APIs, and the evidence you can keep.

Chinese rules, control by control
ControlHow Ostorlab helpsEvidence you keep
Mobile app security baseline and annual external assessmentJR/T 0092-2019; Notice 237AI-agent pentest of the store build and its APIs, behind login, with Mobile SAST on the binary. Details A working exploit you can replay for each AI-agent finding, and scan results per build
App signing, integrity and tamper resistanceJR/T 0092-2019 5.3.3; JR/T 0068-2020 6.2.1.1Modifies the binary, injects debuggers and hooks, and attempts to bypass integrity and pinning protections. Details Evidence of which protections held and which were bypassed
Unauthorised administrator rights and emulator detectionJR/T 0092-2019 5.3.4Runs the app in rooted and emulated environments and attempts to bypass the detection. Details Hardening score, and bypass evidence for each protection that failed
No payment sensitive data or biometric templates on the deviceJR/T 0092-2019 5.5.4.1; JR/T 0171-2020 6.1.3Looks for payment data, tokens and personal data in storage, caches, logs and screenshots. Details File system evidence showing what was written, where and when
Masking of displayed personal financial informationJR/T 0171-2020 6.1.4.1Runs the app, captures the screens it shows and the API responses behind them, and checks what personal data appears in clear. Details Screens and screenshots that show which data fields were exposed
Authentication factors, lockout and reserved number changesJR/T 0068-2020 6.4.2.1; JR/T 0092-2019 5.1.1Logs in with one time codes and tests MFA enforcement, step up flows, lockout and number change rules. Details Findings on login, lockout and number change flows, with reproduction steps
Session end, inactivity logout and token handlingJR/T 0068-2020 6.2.1.1; JR/T 0092-2019 5.5.6.3Tests login and logout, token refresh, timeouts and session invalidation. Details Session and token findings, with request and response logs
API and gateway inventory, and testing before go livePBOC Order No. 3 [2025], Articles 35 and 36Intercepts traffic even with TLS pinning and tests authorization, token misuse and abuse such as enumeration and replay. Details Request and response evidence for each API finding, with the release it belongs to
SDK and third party component recordsJR/T 0092-2019 6.4; JR/T 0068-2020 6.2.1.1Fingerprints statically compiled libraries and maps them to known vulnerabilities, release to release. Details Component identity, version and location in the app bundle, per release
Classified protection and remediation trackingGB/T 22239-2019; PBOC Order No. 3 [2025], Article 32Groups findings into tickets in the platform or in Jira and ServiceNow, and retests after the fix. Ticket history and retest result for each finding

Ostorlab tests controls in the app and its APIs. MIIT and NIFA filings, external assessments by accredited bodies, formal MLPS evaluation, SOC monitoring, incident reporting, outsourcing management and governance stay with your teams.

Action plan

PBOC and NFRA controls to test in your mobile app

A practical list for security and compliance teams, based on the PBOC standards, the two data security measures, the MIIT filing notice and the NFRA outsourcing rules.

  1. Annual external assessment

    Put the app in the annual external assessment cycle, keep the report on file, and refresh it after major changes or when the filing year turns.

  2. Financial app filing

    Keep the NIFA filing and its security material current, and check the MIIT filing behind each store listing and release.

  3. Self protection

    Test signing, integrity checks, obfuscation, process protection and secure input on the build your customers download.

  4. Environment detection

    Run the app on rooted and emulated devices and check that risky environments are detected, reported to the backend and handled.

  5. Data on the device

    Look for payment sensitive information, biometric templates, tokens and personal data in storage, caches, logs and screenshots, and check that they are cleared after the transaction.

  6. Authentication and sessions

    Verify factor independence, one time code lifetime, lockout after consecutive failures, reserved number changes and server side session invalidation.

  7. APIs before production

    Keep the gateway and API inventory current and run security testing on every change before it reaches production.

  8. Third parties and records

    Keep SDK and component records per release, scan provider deliverables, and keep the evidence for the annual assessments and audits.

A suggested list, not a PBOC, NFRA or MIIT template. This is not legal advice.

Sources

The official texts this page is based on, checked on 27 September 2026.

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