Shenzhen was ranked one of China's six most international financial cities at an awards ceremony in Beijing on Sunday.

The annual occasion, dubbed China's financial Oscars, was witnessed by more than 1,200 representatives from the finance industry, including 10 administration heavyweights, 60 experts and more than 300 leading businessmen.

Shenzhen stood out from more than 100 cities in the five-month research carried out by the country's most influential financial media including China Finance Net, CCTV's economic channel and China.com. The other five were Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing and Dalian.

Shenzhen Mayor Xu Zongheng was also awarded at the ceremony, along with mayors of the other five cities, for their outstanding contributions to their cities' financial development.

The research report said the financial sector, one of Shenzhen's four pillar industries, accomplished satisfactory achievements in 2006, with its total assets amounting to 1.61 trillion yuan (US$206 billion) by the end of last year, the fourth highest in China.

Shenzhen banks recorded increasing deposits and the stock market's turnover broke through a record 3.5 trillion yuan last year. Circulating capital exceeded 30 trillion yuan, or one-tenth of the country's total. The financial industry made a record 20 billion yuan in profits in 2006 and the added-value of the industry accounted for 10.1 percent of GDP, recording a growth rate higher than that of overall GDP for the first time in 10 years.

Ma Weihua, president of Shenzhen-based China Merchants Bank, was also selected as one of China's 12 distinguished bankers in 2006 at the ceremony while the bank found its name on the list of China's 30 most competitive financial institutions.

Among five most favorable bankcards in China were two from Shenzhen banks, Shenzhen Development Bank and China Merchants Bank.

Editor: Yan