OREANDA-NEWS. Swedbank Lithuania’s profit for the first nine months of 2015 amounted to EUR 59m, a decrease of 30 per cent compared with the same period in 2014 (EUR 84m). The decrease was mainly due to lower income as well as credit impairments.

“Swedbank Lithuania’s profit for the first nine months of the year remained affected by interest rates, which are at record low levels, as well as a significant drop in revenue from international payments and foreign exchange. However, underlying business trends are strong. During the nine month period, new lending in consumer loans and mortgages grew by nearly 30 per cent compared with the same period last year. In the current competitive environment, growth of Swedbank’s corporate loans portfolio has remained moderate. Going forward Swedbank will continue providing financing to sustainable corporate projects with a focus on small and medium size businesses”, said Dovile Grigiene, Head of Swedbank Lithuania.

On January 1st 2016 Lithuania will join SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) that is payment integration initiative for simplification of bank transfers in euro. Therefore the service of direct debit currently available in Lithuania will be replaced by a new payment service that is based on the e-billing model. The main aim of Swedbank Lithuania is to to assure a smooth move to the new payment service. At the moment the majority of Swedbank corporate clients are ready to start implementing the new service.

Loans and deposits

Lending volumes increased by 5 per cent (EUR 185m) compared with 31 December 2014, driven by increased credit demand in light of continued economic growth in Lithuania. The positive trend was seen in all major portfolios: corporate lending, leasing, consumer finance and mortgages. The total loan portfolio amounted to EUR 4.2bn at the end of Q3 2015.

Deposit volumes increased by 2 per cent (EUR 89m) from 31 December 2014. The total deposit portfolio amounted to EUR 5.0bn at the end of Q3 2015. The loan-to-deposit ratio was 85 per cent (82 per cent as of 31 December 2014).

Credit quality

Credit impairments amounted to EUR 4m for the first nine months of 2015 (net recoveries of EUR 8m for the same period 2014).

Gross impaired loans continued to decline and amounted to EUR 113m at the end of Q3 2015 (EUR 144m in Q3 2014).

Revenues and costs

Total income amounted to EUR 134m for the first nine months in 2015, representing a decrease of 15 per cent year-on-year.

Net interest income decreased by 16 per cent compared with the nine-month period in 2014 and amounted to EUR 70m. The decrease was mainly due to low market interest rates.

Net commission income decreased by 3 per cent (EUR 1m) compared with the nine-month period 2014 and amounted to EUR 53m. The main reason behind the decrease was lower income from international payments.

Total expenses decreased by 11 per cent (EUR 8m) year-on-year, and reached EUR 62m during the first nine months 2015. The cost-to-income ratio was 0.46 (0.44 in the first nine months of 2014).

Swedbank Lithuania will pay EUR 27m in taxes to the state budget for the period January – September 2015. Last year the amount of taxes paid for the same period was EUR 22m.

Swedbank has reached an agreement with Danske Bank to acquire its retail banking business in Lithuania and Latvia. The acquisition affects around 120 000 private customers in Lithuania with approximately EUR 525m in loans. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, is targeted for closing in the first quarter of 2016.