The lender plans to lay off around 9% of its workforce in a bid to boost returns and convince investors of its standalone prospects.

Commerzbank plans to axe 3,900 mostly local jobs to help it deliver more ambitious profit targets as part of its strategy to fend off UniCredit's advances for a tie-up between the German and Italian lenders,

German lender Commerzbank said Thursday it plans to cut about 3,900 jobs, around 10 percent of its workforce, seeking to fight off pressure for a tie-up from Italian bank UniCredit.It has since boosted its holding in the German bank to around 28 percent.