China punishes nearly 800 people in state banks
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-12-27 19:34

The Construction Bank went public in Hong Kong this year, while the Bank of China is widely forecast to sell shares to private investors next year.

On Monday, the CBRC acknowledged that while state banks are making progress in building up corporate governance, "illegal cases, including big cases, are still frequently seen," Xinhua said on Tuesday.

Calling 2006 a "key year" for reform, it urged the Big Four, which account for more than half of the country's deposits and lending, to "tide over the difficulties" and promote the banking industry's healthy, stable expansion.

The banking watchdog said those punished worked within 103 different levels of the banks.  

China has 189 banks and more than 30,000 credit cooperatives with total assets amounting to 30 trillion yuan (3.7 trillion dollars).

The big four state-owned commercial banks have a combined market share of 55 percent.

In addition to the banking watchdog's investigations, China's National Audit Office plans to scrutinize some of the branch offices of the four commercial banks next year, Xinhua reported Monday.