China Banking Corp. (Chinabank), the lender co-controlled by the Sy and Dee families, sustained its income growth, posting a 10 percent rise in consolidated profits to ₱20.2 billion in the first nine months of the year.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the bank stated that this performance resulted in a return on equity of 15.3 percent and a return on assets of 1.6 percent, which remain among the highest in the industry.

Chinabank’s core businesses delivered robust results, with interest income rising by 13 percent, driven by the continuous expansion of earning assets, offsetting a nine percent jump in interest expense.

Net interest income increased by 15 percent to ₱53.5 billion, while the net interest margin remained healthy at 4.6 percent.

Fee-based income also increased to ₱3.1 billion on steady growth in trust and bancassurance commissions.

Operating expenses rose by 15 percent to ₱25.3 billion, mainly due to strategic investments in manpower and technology. Nonetheless, cost-to-income ratio improved to 45 percent.

To strengthen its balance sheet, Chinabank proactively increased provisions to ₱7.0 billion for a non-performing loan (NPL) cover of 123 percent higher than the industry average.

Still the fourth largest private universal bank in the country, Chinabank’s total assets grew eight percent year-on-year to reach ₱1.7 trillion.

Gross loans increased by 14 percent to ₱994.0 billion on strong demand from both the corporate and consumer segments. Despite the rise in lending, NPL ratio improved to 1.6 percent, reflecting the bank’s prudent stance.

Deposits also rose by nine percent to ₱1.4 trillion, securing a stable funding base, driven by 12 percent year-on-year growth in checking and savings accounts.

Total capital reached ₱184.4 billion, up 13 percent. Capital adequacy ratio stood at 15.8 percent and common equity tier 1 ratio at 15.0 percent—well above regulatory requirements. Book value per share improved to ₱68.49.