Financial Performance - Interest income for the six months ended June 30, 2024, was HK6,205,704,anincreasefromHK5,287,210 in 2023, reflecting a growth of 17.3%[6] - Net interest income rose to HK2,538,695,up11.92,269,045 in the previous year[6] - Operating income increased by 22.1% to HK3,286,757comparedtoHK2,691,406 in 2023[6] - Profit for the period attributable to shareholders was HK1,396,074,representinga25.61,111,923 in 2023[9] - Basic earnings per share improved to HK0.99,upfromHK0.79, marking a growth of 25.3%[6] - Total comprehensive income for the period, net of tax, was HK1,450,192,comparedtoHK1,076,603 in 2023, indicating a growth of 34.7%[9] - The net fee and commission income increased significantly by 59.8% to HK603,386,comparedtothepreviousyear[6]−Operatingprofitbeforeimpairmentlossesroseby46.11,691,892 from HK1,158,085in2023[6]−ThetotaloperatingincomewasHK3,286,757,000, with operating expenses of HK1,594,865,000,resultinginanoperatingprofitofHK1,691,892,000[121] - Profit before taxation for the six months ended June 30, 2024, reached HK1,579,921,upfromHK1,211,901 in 2023, indicating an increase of about 30%[126] Asset and Liability Management - Total assets as of June 30, 2024, increased to HK262,372,675,upfromHK260,744,094 as of December 31, 2023, representing a growth of approximately 0.63%[11] - Total liabilities increased slightly to HK228,739,842fromHK227,854,651, reflecting a growth of approximately 0.39%[11] - Customer deposits rose to HK208,143,537,anincreasefromHK207,233,698, reflecting a growth of about 0.44%[11] - The balance of cash and balances with banks decreased to HK13,054,178fromHK16,395,770, a decline of about 20.5%[11] - Total equity as of June 30, 2024, reached HK33,632,833,upfromHK32,889,443, marking an increase of approximately 2.25%[11] - The total amount of subordinated notes as of June 30, 2024, was HK4,109,232,downfromHK5,916,645 as of December 31, 2023, indicating a decrease of 30.5%[83] - The total liabilities stood at HK228,739,842,withcustomerdepositsbeingthelargestcomponent[104]CreditandImpairment−Creditimpairmentlossessurgedby246.7544,007 from HK156,893inthepreviousyear[6]−NewcreditimpairmentlossesforthesixmonthsendedJune30,2024,wereHK544,007, compared to HK156,893in2023,indicatingasignificantriseinprovisions[34]−ThetotalimpairmentallowancesforloansandadvancesamountedtoHK1,180,190 as of June 30, 2024, compared to HK1,113,256asofDecember31,2023,indicatinganincreaseofabout61,243,475,000, an increase from HK1,181,574,000asofDecember31,2023[69]−TheECLallowanceforStage1isHK404,463,000, for Stage 2 is HK307,994,000,andforStage3isHK531,018,000 as of June 30, 2024[69] Cash Flow and Investments - Net cash used in operating activities was HK(1,958,962)thousand,comparedtoHK 965,062 thousand in the previous year, indicating a significant decrease[19] - Net cash used in investing activities was HK(140,599)thousand,upfromHK (40,075) thousand in the previous year, reflecting increased investment outflows[19] - Net cash used in financing activities rose sharply to HK(2,758,979)thousandfromHK (645,339) thousand, primarily due to repayment of subordinated notes[19] - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period decreased to HK14,017,431thousandfromHK 19,425,731 thousand, showing a decline of approximately 28%[19] Segment Performance - Net interest income for the Personal Banking segment was HK1,094,468,whilenon−interestincomewasHK531,816, contributing to a total operating income of HK1,626,284,000[121]−TheCorporateBankingsegmentreportednetinterestincomeofHK582,205,000 and non-interest income of HK103,928,000,leadingtototaloperatingincomeofHK686,133,000[121] - The Treasury and Global Markets segment achieved net interest income of HK650,687,000andnon−interestincomeofHK21,032,000, totaling HK671,719,000inoperatingincome[121]−TheMainlandChinaandMacauBankingsegmentgeneratednetinterestincomeofHK230,318,000 and non-interest income of HK83,682,000,resultingintotaloperatingincomeofHK314,000,000[121] Risk Management - The Group's liquidity risk management ensures the ability to meet financial obligations without incurring unacceptable losses[155] - The Group's operational risk is associated with inadequate internal processes and external events, which could lead to direct or indirect losses[155] - The Group's risk management expertise has improved the overall quality of its lending portfolios, enabling it to meet changing regulatory requirements confidently[157] - The Group's expected credit loss (ECL) measurement methodology remains consistent with the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, focusing on either a 12-month or lifetime basis depending on credit risk increases[161] - The Group continues to monitor high-risk loan accounts and has updated forward-looking assumptions to reflect market conditions as of June 30, 2024, with scenario weights of 70%, 11%, and 19% for "baseline," "good," and "bad" scenarios respectively[165] Market Conditions and Economic Outlook - The Hong Kong GDP growth rate forecast for the base scenario is 2.4% for 2024, with a good scenario at 7.0% and a bad scenario at -2.3%[173] - The Hong Kong unemployment rate forecast for the base scenario is 2.8% for 2024, with a good scenario at 2.3% and a bad scenario at 4.7%[173] - A 1% increase in unemployment rates would result in an ECL impact of HK17,194,000forretailandHK27,832,000 for corporate as of June 30, 2024[181] - A 0.5% decrease in GDP growth rates would lead to an ECL impact of HK3,453,000forretailandHK5,207,000 for corporate as of June 30, 2024[181]