Bergen, 14 November 2018. The Sbanken group continued the strong lending growth in the third quarter of 2018. The net profit increased to NOK 178.0 million, compared with NOK 165.0 million in the third quarter last year. The increase in profit was primarily a result of volume growth, higher net fee and commission income and gains on financial instruments. Net fee and commission income was positively affected by strong market development and solid growth in funds under management, in addition to the seasonal increase in payment transactions volumes in the quarter.
At quarter-end, total customer lending had increased to NOK 78.8 billion, compared with NOK 72.0 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2017. Return on equity was 12.5 per cent, compared with 13.0 per cent in the third quarter of 2017.
Highlights:
- Continued momentum – lending growth at 9.3 per cent year to date
- Effective consumer loan initiatives – growth at 15.3 per cent in the quarter
- Strong growth in funds under management – 30.8 per cent last 12 months
- Winner of EPSI Survey 2018 – customer satisfaction remains strong
“We continued our solid growth and delivered strong results in the quarter. Besides strong financial performance, Sbanken was again reported as having the most satisfied customers in EPSI Rating’s annual Banking Survey. I am very satisfied being nominated among the top three to the Fidus Awards on information security, as the only financial institution. With the launch of Apple Pay we continue to give our customers the best solutions available and support our position as an innovative and leading digital challenger bank. Our solid capital position combined with a scalable business model and attractive products supports continued profit growth.” says Magnar Øyhovden, CEO of Sbanken ASA.
Net interest income increased to NOK 333.3 (331.4) million as a result of increased net lending to customers partly offset by a reduced net interest margin. The net interest margin was 1.45 per cent, down from 1.63 per cent in the third quarter of 2017 and 1.47 per cent in the second quarter of 2018.
Operating expenses amounted to NOK 159.6 (147.3) million in the quarter. The increase of NOK 12.3 million from the third quarter of 2017 was primarily due to increased marketing efforts and an increase in expenses relating to ongoing initiatives to expand the bank’s offering. These include increased personnel costs as well as increased system and IT-related expenses.
The net cost of losses amounted to NOK 19.7 million in the quarter, equivalent to a loan loss ratio of 0.10 per cent.
At the end of the quarter, Sbanken had a CET 1 capital ratio of 14.8 per cent, a Tier 1 capital ratio of 16.2 per cent and a total capital ratio of 17.9 per cent. The capital ratios include 90 per cent of retained earnings from the first nine months of the year.
A detailed financial report for the group and for Sbanken ASA is attached to this notice. The report for the wholly owned subsidiary, Sbanken Boligkreditt AS, is distributed separately.
Contact details, Investor Relations
Torkil Wiberg, Head of IR, Sbanken ASA, +47 928 33 331
Henning Nordgulen, CFO, Sbanken ASA, +47 952 65 990
Media contact
Geir Holen, Head of communications , Sbanken ASA, +47 959 68 286
About Sbanken ASA
In April 2000, Sbanken was launched as the first purely digital bank in Norway. Today, the bank offers a comprehensive range of financial products and services to individuals and households in Norway within payments and card services, deposit-based savings, investment products, long-term loans and short- term loans. The bank has no branches and all products and services are offered directly through the digital platform, which is available on a broad range of user devices. As of 30 September 2018, Sbanken had total assets of NOK 91 billion. For more information, see sbanken.no/investor-relations.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
