METROPOLITAN Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) recorded a net income of P24.8 billion for the first half, up 5 percent from P23.6 billion a year earlier and said to have been driven by healthy loan growth, recovering margins, robust trading income and improved cost efficiency.
“Our first half performance reflects the continuing strength of our core businesses,” Metrobank President Fabian Dee said in a statement on Friday.
“As we enter the second half of the year, we remain focused on building on our fundamentals and implementing prudent strategies, which will allow us to continue helping our clients grow further as well as achieve our medium-term goals,” he added.
Pre-provision operating profit rose 16.3 percent year-on-year to P39.1 billion while net interest income reached P60 billion, up 3.4 percent from P58 billion and backed by sustained growth across business segments and a sequential rebound in net interest margin.
Gross loans grew 13.2 percent, building on the 14.9 percent recorded a year ago. Institutional loans rose 12.7 percent while consumer loans climbed 15.3 percent, driven by an 18.2-percent growth in gross credit card receivables and a 17.8-percent increase in auto loans.
Total deposits stood at P2.3 trillion, down slightly from P2.4 trillion in the first half of 2024, of which P1.5 trillion were low-cost current and savings accounts.
Non-interest income jumped 46.2 percent to P17.6 billion, of which fee income accounted for P8.6 billion, supported by its expanding consumer business.
Trading and foreign exchange gains surged to P5.4 billion, benefiting from investment portfolio optimization strategies.
Operating expenses rose 5.9 percent, resulting in cost-to-income ratio improving to 50 percent from 52.3 percent previously.
Asset quality continued to strengthen, with the bank’s non-performing loan (NPL) ratio easing to 1.5 percent from 1.66 percent, significantly below the industry average of 3.5 percent as of May 2025.
The bank also booked P5.8 billion in provisions during the first half while maintaining a strong NPL coverage ratio of 153.9 percent.
Total consolidated assets rose by 6.0 percent to P3.5 trillion from P3.3 trillion a year earlier, allowing Metrobank to maintain its position as the second largest private universal bank in the Philippines in asset terms.
Total equity increased to P390.7 billion from P355.1 billion previously.
The bank’s capital adequacy ratio stood at 16.3 percent while its common equity tier 1 ratio was at 15.6 percent, both comfortably above the minimum regulatory requirements.
Metrobank shares slipped by P1.50, or 2.02 percent, to close at P72.70 each on Friday amid a 0.85-percent rise for the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index.
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