Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) reported a net income of P24.8 billion for the first half of 2025, driven by strong growth in its lending business, expanded margins, and a surge in trading gains.
The bank’s pre-provision operating profit, a key indicator of its core business performance, rose 16.3% year-on-year to P39.1 billion, according to a statement released Friday.
“Our first half performance reflects the continuing strength of our core businesses,” Metrobank President Fabian S. Dee said. “We remain focused on building on our fundamentals and implementing prudent strategies, which will allow us to continue helping our clients grow further as well as achieve our medium-term goals.”
The bank’s net interest income reached P60 billion, supported by broad-based growth and an improvement in its net interest margin. Its gross loan book expanded by 13.2% from a year earlier.
Institutional lending grew by 12.7% as corporate clients increased capital expenditures.
Consumer loans climbed 15.3%, led by an 18.2% jump in credit card receivables and a 17.8% increase in auto loans.
Metrobank’s non-interest income surged by 46.2% to P17.6 billion, boosted by P8.6 billion in fee-based revenues and a P5.4 billion gain from trading and foreign exchange activities.
The bank maintained strong cost discipline, with operating expenses increasing by only 5.9%. This brought its cost-to-income ratio down to 50% from 52.3% a year ago.
Asset quality continued to improve, with the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio declining to 1.5% from 1.7% in the same period last year, well below the industry average. The bank’s NPL coverage remained high at 153.9%.
Metrobank’s consolidated assets rose 6% to P3.5 trillion, maintaining its position as the Philippines’ second-largest private universal bank by asset size. Its capital buffers remained solid, with a capital adequacy ratio of 16.3% and a common equity tier 1 ratio of 15.6%, both above regulatory requirements.
