By Komfie Manalo
UnionBank of the Philippines' (UBP) expanding consumer business, higher net interest margin, and growing transaction fees pushed UBP's first-half net income by 8.3% to P5.1 billion.
The bank's top-line revenue is pegged at P37.7 billion from January to June.
"We continue to post strong top-line revenues. Now that we have completed the integration of the acquired Citi consumer business, the parent bank's expenses have naturally declined. As a result, our net income in the year's second quarter is at P3.1 billion, up by more than 50% from the P2.0 billion booked in the previous quarter. Our focus on higher margin consumer segment and continued expansion of our customer base will allow us to sustain this growth momentum in the years to come," said Manuel R. Lozano, chief financial officer.
The bank said its operating expenses improved by 2.4% year-on-year to P21.6 billion. In addition, following the successful migration of the acquired Citi consumer business into UnionBank's system in March, the Bank's IT expenses have declined by close to P1.0 billion quarter-on-quarter.
The decline in IT expenses was partly offset by inherent costs related to customer acquisition and revenue growth.
New-to-bank customers more than doubled vs. last year's monthly average. As a result, the bank now has over 15 million total customers, UBP added.
UBP added that its six-month net interest income grew by 14.8% to P27.5 billion, driven by a 55bps improvement in net interest margin. The bank's net interest margin is among the highest in the banking industry, at 5.7%, coming from the higher proportion of consumer loans to total loans. Consumer loans now account for 59% of its total loan portfolio, which is nearly three times higher than the industry average.
Total assets as of June 2024 ended at P1.1 trillion. Total loans and receivables net reached P514.8 billion, while low-cost CASA deposits reached P427.8 billion.
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