(Malaysia) – Malaysia’s largest bank, Malayan Banking – or Maybank – has announced a 19 percent profit rise to 897.8 million ringgit (US$236 million) for the six months to December 31 last year.The result, which was largely within expectations, was ascribed largely to a 23 percent reduction in bad loan provisioning.
Maybank is closely watched both as a bellwether for the Malaysian banking system and the country’s economy.
Its loan-loss provisioning has been a declining trend as asset quality has improved due to more prudent lending policies and Malaysia’s economic recovery.
Analysts are expecting Maybank to post a full year result of around 1.82 billion ringgit (US$480 million).