China's largest lender, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), said it will not conduct fundraising from the capital markets within three years, the Securities Times reported on Thursday, citing the bank's chairman.

Chinese lenders raised $80 billion last year to replenish capital depleted by a lending spree in 2009.

ICBC officials were not immediately available for comment.

Investors are concerned that Chinese banks may launch a new wave of capital raising, amid speculation that regulators will tighten capital rules further to cool the country's red-hot economic growth.

China Minsheng Banking Corp said last week that it plans to raise $3.2 billion in a Shanghai share placement to replenish capital. [ID:nTOE70600O]

Agricultural Bank of China has said it will seek shareholders' approval for a sub-debt programme to raise up to 50 billion yuan.

Medium-sized Chinese lender Industrial Bank Co , meanwhile plans to issue 15 billion yuan of subordinated bonds to consolidate its capital base.

Amid speculation of further capital requirement tightening, Chinese banks extended close to 500 billion yuan ($75.6 billion) in new loans in the first week of January, two sources with direct knowledge of the figures told Reuters on Wednesday.

That included about 210 billion yuan in new loans extended by the Big Four state lenders during that week.

China China