THE Industrial and Commercial Bank of China announced yesterday that it has provided 8.06 billion yuan (US$1.17 billion) in loans to companies and public utilities for reconstruction after the May 12 earthquake which struck Sichuan Province.

ICBC, the country's largest lender, also said it had signed a financing agreement for supporting reconstruction projects with the municipal government of Chengdu, the provincial capital. China's financial agencies had lent 52.95 billion yuan in reconstruction loans for quake-stricken areas by Sunday, of which 44.6 billion yuan went to Sichuan.