PHILIPPINE Business Bank (PBB) saw a 15.2% increase in its net income in the first nine months on the back of a higher core income and an expansion in its loan portfolio.
The lender’s net income climbed to P926.6 million in the nine months ended September from the P804.3 million posted in the same period a year ago, it said in a statement released on Tuesday.
This translated to a return on equity of 8.82% and a return on assets of 0.99%.
“2022 has been a challenging year with uncertainties affecting the global macroeconomic picture,” PBB President and CEO Roland R. Avante was quoted as saying.
“Although income growth remains steady, PBB sees headwinds in the remaining months of 2022 and early 2023 as inflation remains high and the Philippine peso continues to weaken,” Mr. Avante said.
PBB’s net interest income stood at P4.02 billion in nine months to September, driven by its core earnings, which reached P2.19 billion during the period.
The lender’s net interest margin improved to 4.33% in September from 4.06% in March.
PBB’s loans and other receivables rose by 14.7% to P98 billion as of end-September from P85.4 billion last year.
“PBB’s loan portfolio grew 14.7% as credit activity began to gain momentum with the easing of restrictions and the resulting improvements in market demand,” Mr. Avante said.
On the funding side, deposit liabilities inched up by 2.4% to P105.6 billion as of end-September from the P103.1 billion recorded in the same period last year. Time deposits reached P46.1 billion.
The bank’s capital adequacy ratio was at 13.82% as of September. The bank’s minimum liquidity ratio was at 20.02%.
Its total resources as of September reached P125 billion.
“PBB received stockholders’ approval to increase its authorized capital stock from P10 billion to P15 billion during its annual stockholder’s meeting on July 27, 2022. This will better position the bank to support the needs of its SME (small, medium enterprise) clientele,” Mr. Avante said.
“Subject to regulatory approvals and barring unforeseen events, we expect the completion of our P1.75-billion capital raising initiative in the latter part of 2022 or early in 2023. We are appreciative of the support provided to us by our regulators during this process,” he added.
PBB’s shares closed at P8.25 apiece on Tuesday, up by 16 centavos or 1.98% from the previous finish. — K.B. Ta-asan