Bulgarian banks grow 9-mo net profit 37% y/y, assets flattish

The banking sector's net operating income totalled 3.84 billion levs in the nine months through September, higher than 3.28 billion levs in the prior-year period, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) said in a monthly report on the banking sector's performance on Monday.

Gross interest income went up to 2.54 billion levs in January-September from 2.25 billion levs in the first nine months of 2021. Gross fee and commission income expanded to 1.3 billion levs from 1.08 billion levs.

The banks' total assets amounted to 148.9 billion levs at the end of September, reflecting an increase of 4.8% since end-June. The banks' total assets recorded an annual increase of 12.3% as at end-September, central bank data showed.

The gross loan portfolio of the Bulgarian banking system expanded to 84 billion levs in the nine months through September from 83.9 billion levs a year earlier. The quarterly increase in the period July-September amounted to 3 billion levs.

As of end-September, deposits in the banking system totalled 128.2 billion levs, 5.2% more than at end-June and up from 113.3 billion at the end of September 2021.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)