Two of Singapore’s largest lenders will increase dividend payouts after profit in the second quarter beat estimates and provisions for bad loans fell.
OVERSEA-CHINESE BANKING CORP said it will pay an interim dividend of 25 cents per share after reporting a 59% jump in net income, while United Overseas Bank Ltd. plans a 60 cent per share payout after a 43% increase in profit, the lenders said in separate statements Wednesday. Both sets of results beat analyst expectations.
Shares in Singapore banks have rallied this year, beating the Bloomberg Asia-Pacific Banks Index, reflecting optimism that lenders are emerging from the country’s worst economic contraction in decades.
Regulators in the city state and beyond are taking the shackles off rules that required banks to keep money aside when the pandemic engulfed the globe last year, allowing them to hand cash back to shareholders. The Monetary Authority of Singapore recently lifted a cap imposed last year that restricted dividend payouts at 60% of 2019 levels.
UOB-KAY HIAN HOLDINGS LIMITED’s profit was helped by a gain in lending income and fees from businesses including wealth, while provisions for potential loan losses fell 54%. OCBC’s income was mainly helped by a 69% drop in provisions.
Policy makers expect Singapore’s economy to grow at least 4%-6% this year, though arevision
“With countries speeding up their vaccination drive, we are optimistic that the
situation will gradually pick up in Southeast Asia,” UOB Chief Executive Officer Wee Ee Cheong said in the statement, adding that asset quality is “resilient.”
DBS GROUP HOLDINGS LTD, Southeast Asia’s largest bank, will report earnings Thursday.
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