Chang Hwa Bank posts record first-half profit on lending, overseas and wealth management growth
Taiwan's Chang Hwa Bank is having its best year in a while, with profits up more than 20% — good news for shareholders and a sign that Taiwanese companies are still expanding abroad.
- Profit through July rose 22% from a year earlier, a record for that stretch, and earnings per share hit NT$1.12.
- Overseas lending grew fastest, up 26%, as Taiwanese firms build factories abroad and global supply chains get rebuilt.
- More than a fifth of profit now comes from outside Taiwan, with Hong Kong, the US and the UK the top markets.
- Wealth management is the other engine — fee income jumped as customers bought more insurance and funds, and the bank is hiring 40 more advisers for rich clients.
- Bad loans stay very low, and the gap between what the bank pays savers and charges borrowers widened slightly.
Outlook: The bank expects steady growth for the rest of the year, betting on AI and tech investment and cross-border demand, while watching interest rates and global politics.