ICBC may use demand tool to gauge lending pace

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) yesterday said it has no plans to curb lending due to policy tightening, after posting steady credit growth in January.

The bank said that it will "neither rush to lend nor halt lending", but admitted that credit growth has slowed since mid January after a lending surge at the beginning of the year.

ICBC said it would maintain a reasonable and balanced pace of lending based on real demand.