Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the nation's biggest lender, said it sacked 47,000 workers and shut 3,400 unprofitable outlets last year, as it labored under bad loans of 792 billion yuan (US$96 billion).
The disclosure came after China's central bank required lenders to report their accounts according to international standards and open their books to the public once a year.
The bank said it still has 429,000 employees and 28,300 outlets nationwide.
China's "Big Four" state-owned lenders are restructuring to meet investment standards to compete with foreign rivals.
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