Credicorp .(US:BAP)2025-08-15 15:30Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a return on equity (ROE) of 20.7% for Q2 2025, reflecting strong operating performance and disciplined risk management [13][22] - Net interest income increased by 4.2%, supported by a contraction in interest expenses and a low-cost deposit structure [24][51] - The risk-adjusted net interest margin (NIM) reached a record 5.4%, aided by improved asset quality [14][52] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Universal banking and insurance and pensions posted very strong results, while microfinance continued to recover [13] - Fee income increased by 8.2%, driven by transactional activity at JAPI and BCP [25] - The innovation portfolio contributed 6.2% of risk-adjusted revenues, on track towards a 10% target for 2026 [13] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Peru's GDP is expected to grow by 3.2% in 2025, with domestic demand growing around 4.5% [7][27] - Inflation in Peru has remained below 2% for seven consecutive months, indicating a favorable economic environment [30] - The terms of trade have reached their highest level in 75 years, driven by elevated prices of gold, silver, and copper [27] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on building a more agile, balanced, and forward-looking platform, emphasizing digital infrastructure and client engagement [9][16] - The strategy includes advancing digital onboarding, behavioral scoring, and embedding AI across operations to enhance efficiency and decision-making [18][20] - The company aims to transform into a more diversified business model where fee generation and client engagement are as critical as lending [16] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in a favorable resolution regarding the tax case with Sunnab, despite the payment of approximately 1.6 billion soles [11][54] - The company anticipates loan growth to accelerate in the second half of the year, particularly in retail banking and microfinance [56][84] - The long-term sustainable ROE guidance has been revised upwards to around 19.5%, driven by stronger expectations of loan growth dynamics [60] Other Important Information - The company is preparing for its Investor Day on October 9, where it will outline its financial services model of the future [21] - The company reported a significant gain in BCP's investment portfolio, contributing positively to the ROE [22] Q&A Session Summary Question: What is driving the improvement in cost of risk? - Management explained that measures taken last year ensured portfolios are under risk appetite, leading to a low cost of risk. They anticipate higher yielding, higher risk portfolios in the second half of the year [63][66] Question: What is the long-term vision for the physical branch network? - The company has reduced its branch network significantly and plans to continue evolving branches into more educational and commercial hubs rather than transactional centers [70][72] Question: What are the expectations for loan growth this year? - The company expects loan growth to be around 6.5%, particularly driven by retail segments, including mortgages and consumer credit [84] Question: How much can Yape contribute in the future? - Yape is expected to become the second largest line of business for the company, primarily due to its lending business in retail and SME segments [91] Question: What is the expected cost of risk for the second half of the year? - The expectation for the whole year is a cost of risk in the range of 1.8% to 2.2%, with the second half likely closer to 2% [103]