JAKARTA. Publicly traded lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) recorded a 0.6 percent increase year-on-year in net profit to Rp 6.14 trillion in the first quarter of this year.
"The increase in net profit was thanks to 11.6 percent rise in income to Rp25.75 trillion," Asmawi Syam, the president of the state bank said here on Thursday.
He said interest income contributed 80 percent or Rp21.84 trillion to the total income of the country's second largest bank in assets .
The interest income of the bank rose from Rp20.08 trillion in the same period last year.
Its non-interest income was recorded at Rp3.91 trillion in the first three months of this year or an increase of 29.55 percent from the same period last year.
In the first quarter of the year, the bank disbursed Rp561.11 trillion in credits or an increase of 18.65 percent year=on=year.
Increase was recorded in credits in all business segments, Asmawi said.
"The non-performing loan (NPL) of the bank was 0.59 percent net and 2.22 percent gross -- well safe below the maximum limit of 5 percent set by the regulator," he said.
Third party funds held by the bank rose to 631.78 trillion in the January-March period in 2016 from Rp587.73 trillion in the same period last year.
Asmawi said the bank succeeded in cutting the cost of fund by 76 basis points to 3.98 percent on improvement in funding structure with the ratio of 'current account saving account' (CASA) to the third party fund rising to 56.54 percent in the first quarter of 2016 from 51.74 percent in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, a BRI director Haru Koesmahargyo said the bank is set to keep the NPL ratio at a safe level by more selective in extending credits amid the economic slowdown.
"The economic slowdown weighs on the banking industry. Some of clients were in difficulty to repay their loans . However, we have managed to keep the NPL at a safe level," Haru said.
In facing possible problem in recovering the credits, the bank continues to to maintain the ratio of reserve for losses in value depreciation (CKPN) at 150 percent resulting in a profit growth not as high as last year, he said.
