China's banks saw both their total assets and liabilities increase in 2012. This is according to fresh data from the country’s top banking regulator.

Total assets of Chinese banks rose by 17.7 percent year on year to 131 trillion yuan, or nearly 21 trillion U.S. dollars last year. That growth is slightly slower than the 18.3 percent rate seen in 2011.

Banks' liabilities reached 122.6 trillion yuan, or 19.5 trillion U.S. dollars in 2012, up 17.5 percent on an annual basis. That's also slower than the 18 percent increase the year earlier. The China Banking Regulatory Commission says smaller lenders, including joint-stock commercial banks and city commercial banks, outperformed bigger lenders, expanding twice as fast.