Citadele Bank

Citadele Group reaches record high loan portfolio

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In the first six months of the year, Citadele Group continued to demonstrate strong financial performance by growing its customer base across core business segments, ensuring a healthy increase in its capital base, and showing improvements in the Group’s asset quality metrics. 

“Our latest financial data, which we are disclosing today, demonstrate that we are on the right track to become the Baltic champion in banking. Providing financing for growth to aspiring Baltic businesses and individuals is central to Citadele’s strategy, and we are doing this very well. Over the last 12 months, Citadele Group’s net loan portfolio increased by an impressive 8%. This growth rate in a highly competitive market is a testimony to our ability to introduce a new approach to lending in the Baltics and deliver the offering to customers both in the MSME and private segments. By automating credit scoring, we are now able to make individuals and small businesses highly personalized offers with incredible speed, and customers seem to greatly appreciate this,” says Guntis Beļavskis, CEO of Citadele Group.

Citadele Group

The Group’s net profit for the first six months of the year was EUR 15 million (Bank: EUR 10.3 million) compared to EUR 25.4 million (Bank: EUR 20.6 million) during the same period in the previous year, which included a EUR 11.3 million gain on the disposal of Citadele’s shares in Visa Europe to Visa Inc. Excluding the one-time item from Visa, the previous year’s net profit was EUR 14 million (Bank: EUR 9.3 million), a healthy 7% increase driven by solid growth in net interest income and net commission income. 

For private individuals, the amount of new loans granted by the Group’s banking entities in the first half of 2017 was EUR 68 million, a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2016. For MSMEs and Corporates the amount of new loans granted in the first half of 2017 was EUR 185 million, a 37% increase compared to the same period in 2016.

Client deposits in the Group reached EUR 2,874 million, showing an increase of 5% in comparison to June 2016.

Citadele in Latvia

In Latvia, the net loan portfolio continued to grow, reaching EUR 960 million, which is a growth of 4% compared to June 2016. The amount of new loans granted by the Bank in the first half of 2017 was EUR 139.6 million, which was a 30% increase compared to the same period in 2016.

For private individuals, the amount of newly granted loans in the first half of 2017 was EUR 48.3 million, which was a 3% decrease compared to the same period in 2016. For MSMEs and Corporates the amount of newly granted loans in the first half of 2017 was EUR 91.3 million, which was a 58% increase compared to the same period in 2016.

Client deposits in Latvia have remained stable at EUR 1,870 million in comparison to June 2016.

Citadele in Lithuania

In Lithuania, the net loan portfolio continued to grow, reaching EUR 298 million, which was a growth of 12% compared to June 2016. The amount of new loans granted by the bank in the first half of 2017 was EUR 71.8 million, which was a 5% increase compared to the same period in 2016.

For private individuals the amount of newly granted loans in the first half of 2017 was EUR 5.6 million, which was a 60% increase compared to the same period in 2016. For MSMEs and Corporates the amount of newly granted loans in the first half of 2017 was EUR 66.2 million which was a 2% increase compared to the same period in 2016.

Client deposits in Lithuania reached EUR 406 million, which was an increase of 17% compared to June 2016.

Citadele in Estonia

In Estonia, the net loan portfolio continued to grow, reaching EUR 111 million, which was a growth of 24% compared to June 2016. The amount of new loans granted by the bank in the first half of 2017 was EUR 41.2 million, which was an 80% increase compared with the same period in 2016.

For private individuals the amount of newly granted loans in the first half of 2017 was EUR 14.1 million, which was a 33% increase compared with the same period in 2016. For MSMEs and Corporates the amount of newly granted loans in the first half of 2017 was EUR 27.1 million, which was a 122% increase compared with the same period in 2016.

Client deposits in Estonia reached EUR 222 million, which was an increase of 17% compared to June 2016.

Other events

In the first half of 2017, Citadele Bank signed an agreement for a long-term partnership with global payment company Visa. The first joint product developed by Visa and Citadele is a new brand of credit card with three card types: X Card, X Platinum and X Infinite, for different client segments.

From April 2017, Citadele’s mobile payment services were available for beta testing by Citadele employees and selected customer groups. Citadele Bank was the first bank in the Baltics to introduce mobile payments using NFC.

On April 2017, Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s) increased Citadele’s long-term credit rating by two notches (from B1 to Ba2), and maintained positive outlook. This upgrade reflected the Group’s implemented strategy to develop and grow its business across the Baltic States, as well as the Group’s improved capital levels and asset quality. Moody’s also positively valued the Group’s rapid development over the last year.

Citadele is the third largest bank in Latvia by number of clients. The Citadele Group is managed from Latvia, and its subsidiaries and branches operate in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Switzerland. Citadele ensures transactions and card payments, loans, deposits, investments, asset management and leasing services, as well as a range of exclusive and unique products. Citadele’s vision is to become the best financial services provider in the Baltics for private customers and small and medium businesses.

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