The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) plans to open 1,000 wealth management centres during the rest of 2007. This is part of its drive to expand its domestic operations rapidly. Chairman Jiang Jianqing told an investor conference yesterday that a further 2,000 wealth management centres would be opened during the next two years. The bank's plans to forge a larger wealth management network would require annual investment of one billion yuan ($130.8 million), over the coming three years, he said. Shareholders approved a proposal for total investment outlays of nine billion yuan this year, which would also go toward improving facilities and computer systems at the bank's thousands of branches. China’s leading banks have recenlty pushed into wealth management. Last year, ICBC nearly doubled its sales of wealth management products, and Mr Jianqing said the bank hopes to attract more high net worth clients into its branches, while encouraging ordinary retail customers to bank online.