December 1 (SeeNews) - The combined net profit of banks operating in Bulgaria came in at 1.72 billion levs ($917.7 million/879.4 million euro) in the ten months through October, up by an annual 40.9%, the central bank said on Thursday.
The banking sector's net operating income increased to 4.28 billion levs as at the end of October from 3.6 billion levs in the prior-year period, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) said in a monthly report on the banking sector's performance.
Gross interest income went up by an annual 12% to 2.88 billion levs, while gross fee and commission income expanded to 1.45 billion levs from 1.2 billion levs a year earlier.
The banks' total assets amounted to over 151 billion levs at the end of October, up from 133.6 billion levs in the first ten months of 2021.
The gross loan portfolio of the Bulgarian banking system widened to 84.6 billion levs in the review period from 74.5 billion levs in the ten months through October 2021.
The central bank also reported a 14.1% annual decrease in total impairment costs on financial assets not measured at fair value through profit or loss to 367 million levs.
As of the end of October, deposits in the banking system amounted to 130 billion levs, up 1.5% on the quarter and growing from 114 billion in the prior-year period.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)