
Core Viewpoint - East Asia Bank's stock price surged by 6% to HKD 13.43, reaching its highest level since April 2021, following the announcement of its mid-year results [1] Financial Performance - The bank reported a net profit attributable to shareholders of HKD 2.407 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 14.02% [1] - Basic earnings per share were HKD 0.86, with an interim dividend of HKD 0.39, up by 25.81% [1] Revenue Breakdown - Net interest income was HKD 7.344 billion, down by 10.74% year-on-year due to declining interest rates [1] - Net interest margin narrowed by 22 basis points to 1.88% [1] - Non-interest income increased by 29.21% to HKD 2.915 billion, with service fees and commission income rising by 16.64% to HKD 1.654 billion, driven by growth in investment activities and third-party policy sales [1] Asset Quality - Financial instrument impairment losses were HKD 2.539 billion, a decrease of 11.87% year-on-year [1] - The commercial real estate sector in mainland China and Hong Kong continued to impact asset quality, accounting for 70% of loan loss provisions [1] - As of June 30, the group's impaired loan ratio was 2.63%, a decrease of 0.09 percentage points from the end of the previous year [1]