THE Asia United Bank (AUB) reported sustained profitability and stronger earnings in the first nine months of 2025, as its net income reached P9.4 billion.
In a statement on Thursday, the AUB said its net income rose by 9 percent to P9.4 billion as of end-September from P8.6 billion a year ago.
AUB said this translated to a 3.2-percent return on assets and return on equity at 20.4 percent during the period.
The bank’s total operating income grew by 10 percent year-on-year to P17.2 billion from P15.6 billion. According to the lender, the growth was driven by a 22-percent increase in earning assets to P390.6 billion, resulting in an 8-percent increase in net interest margin to P13.5 billion and a net interest margin ratio of 5 percent during the period.
AUB’s non-interest income also expanded by 18 percent to P3.7 billion from a year ago, lifted by stronger trading and foreign exchange gains, as well as higher fee-based revenues from credit cards, AUB PayMate, HelloMoney, remittance transactions, trust operations and other branch-related services.
Despite the 10 percent increase in AUB’s operating expenses, at P5.5 billion, due to higher compensation, capital expenditures and growth-related costs, the bank said it maintained a cost-to-income ratio of 32.2 percent, which shows ‘sustained operational efficiency.’
‘Sustaining our profitability is no mean feat, considering the heightened risks in our operating environment, both domestically and globally. But we managed to post double-digit growth rates in our core businesses,’ said AUB President Manuel A. Gomez.
AUB’s total loan portfolio jumped by 29 percent year-on-year to P256.9 billion from P198.9 billion, while total deposits rose 19 percent to P336.2 billion to support business volume growth.
The bank said its funding cost remained low, with low-cost deposits under current account/savings account (CASA) accounting for 78 percent of total deposits, up from 76 percent a year earlier.
To support its growing loan portfolio, AUB increased its loan loss provisions by 141 percent.
AUB’s asset quality has also further improved, with the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio declining to 0.36 percent from 0.53 percent a year ago.
Loans also remain sufficiently covered, with the bank’s NPL coverage ratio at 117.14 percent.
‘We remain on the lookout for growth opportunities on the horizon, particularly in digital partnerships. It is through this that we can offer digital payment solutions such as our all-in-one digital payment acceptance product AUB PayMate, as well as revolutionize cross-border digital payments through our HelloMoney e-wallet, among others,’ Gomez said.
Furthermore, AUB’s total assets went up by 19 percent year-on-year to P417.1 billion from P352.0 billion.
The bank’s total equity also increased by 16 percent to P65.7 billion from P56.6 billion, mainly from retained earnings.
‘The bank is adequately capitalized with capital ratios well above regulatory requirements,’ it said, citing an indicative Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio of 18.75 percent and a capital adequacy ratio of 19.50 percent.