The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the
country's largest commercial bank, recorded a 127 percent rise in
e-banking business last year, company sources said on Friday.
E-banking business was 102.9 trillion yuan (14.2 trillion U.S.
dollars) in 2007, which meant ICBC was the first bank in China to
pass the 100-trillion won level in e-banking, the sources said. The
total included 89.9 trillion yuan in online business, up 136
percent, they added.
The bank was also first in China in the number of e-banking
customers. Individual online customers increased by 15.83 million
people to a total of 39.08 million and online corporate customers
grew 376,000 to 980,000 companies.
The bank also saw its individual telephone customers rise by
11.08 million people to 34.4 million and corporate telephone
customers go up 147,000 to 996,000 companies.
As of the end of 2006, ICBC had net assets of 530.8 billion
yuan, with a capital adequacy ratio of 14.05 percent.
Media reports have said that last year, ICBC -- which is listed
in both Hong Kong and Shanghai -- ranked first among world banks
with total market capitalization of 337.2 billion U.S. dollars.
(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2008)
