Greece’s Alpha Bank posts €665.8 million profit

Alpha Bank (ACBr.AT), Greece’s fourth-largest lender by market value, reported higher net earnings in the January-September period compared to the same period in 2023, on lower provisions and strong interest and fee income.

The company, in which Italian bank UniCredit (CRDI.MI) holds a 9 per cent stake, reported normalised net earnings of 665.8 million euros ($717.93 million) versus a net profit of 571.7 million euros last year.

Net interest income grew 2 per cent year-on-year in the first nine months of the year to 1.243 billion euros, driven by increased lending and higher rates.

Greek lenders have been stabilising after three rounds of recapitalisations and a round of nationalisation after the country was rocked by a financial meltdown in late 2009.

Having cut bad loan ratios, reduced state ownership and returned to profit, the lenders received European Central Bank approval this year to resume dividend payments for the first time in 16 years.

Alpha Bank CEO Vassilios Psaltis raised guidance for 2024 earnings per share to 0.34 euros from 0.33 euros.

The company’s non-performing loan exposure ratio (NPE) dropped to 4.6 per cent of the total loan portfolio from 7.2 per cent at the end of September 2023.

The lender plans to reduce this ratio to under 4 per cent by 2025.

Fees rose by 11.3 per cent year-on-year to 306 million euros.