EastWest's profit rises on stronger consumer lending, higher fee income
The Gotianun Group’s East West Banking Corp. (EastWest Bank) registered a 19-percent improvement in net income to ₱4.1 billion in the first six months of the year on the back of its consistent core revenue generation.
The bank disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) that its revenues increased by 17 percent year-on-year to ₱23.8 billion, from the continuous growth in net interest income of 15 percent to ₱19.2 billion.
This was driven by its consumer lending business, growing by 15 percent and making up 84 percent of the bank’s total loan portfolio.
This strong performance of the bank’s core businesses was also supported by a 29-percent growth in fee income to ₱3.5 billion.
Operating expenses (opex) rose nine percent to ₱12.7 billion, much slower than revenues, driven by manpower investments and business expansion.
Despite this, the bank improved its cost-to-income ratio by 380 basis points (bps) to 53.2 percent, from the faster growth of revenues, supported by productivity gains and digital efficiencies.
“Our core consumer banking businesses are performing well, growing in line with the needs of our customers. Our funding initiatives are likewise supporting our funding structure and growth plans,” said EastWest Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jerry G. Ngo.
He added that, “These are key components of our performance that have led to our steady core income improvement, which combined with operational efficiencies pushed our profitability.”
Key initiatives included deeper personalization across customer touchpoints and broader access to products and services via the EasyWay App. Client engagement remained a priority, marked by nationwide economic forums, lifestyle events, and partnerships.
“These initiatives, along with the ongoing ‘EasyWay to Bank’ store transformation, continued to streamline operations and enhance customer experience,” said EastWest Bank President Jackie S. Fernandez.
The bank’s total assets rose by eight percent to ₱537.6 billion, funded largely by deposits that grew by 11 percent to ₱412.6 billion, maintaining a current account-savings account (CASA) ratio of 79 percent.
Meanwhile, capital ratios remain strong and supportive of future growth, with capital adequacy ratio (CAR) at 13.4 percent and Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio at 12.6 percent, well above regulatory standards.