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Poland's PKO BP earnings hit by Swiss franc home loans

PKO BP reported a. 60% drop in fourthquarter net earnings on Thursday as Poland's. largest bank was hit by a 1.99 billion zloty ($ 504 million). provision for forex mortgage loans, sending its. shares lower.

Polish banks have benefited over the last few years from high. rates of interest, however their earnings have been under pressure from. expenses related to historical Swiss franc mortgage.

The 4th quarter arrangement at PKO BP raised the total hit. taken by the state-owned bank for 2023 to 5.43 billion zlotys.

Shares in PKO BP were down 3.6% at 1045 GMT.

The lending institution said it had actually signed 37,000 court settlements for. Swiss franc loans to the end of in 2015, including that it. expects to conclude 2,000-3,000 every quarter.

Its quarterly net earnings fell 60% to 681 million zlotys,. while full-year incomes leapt 66% year-on-year to 5.50 billion. zlotys, thanks to beneficial rate of interest.

PKO BP deputy CEO Piotr Mazur said that the estimated expense. of a proposed extension of a home mortgage payment holiday plan,. which the government just recently approved for 2024, may be. between 800 and 900 million zlotys, compared to 1.3 billion. zlotys the bank predicted in November.

Trigon expert Maciej Marcinowski stated PKO's profit for the. existing year, leaving out Swiss franc related costs and credit. moratoria, could exceed 10 billion zlotys, or potentially 11. billion zlotys should rate of interest stay stable.

PKO BP is likewise prepared to pay dividends thanks to a solid. capital base and getting the thumbs-up from the Polish. Financial Supervision Authority.

The bank's handling director of finance department Jakub. Niesluchowski said the payment could reach up to about 66% of. standalone annual profit, resulting in dividend yield below 10%

The bank currently paid out 1.28 zlotys per share as an. advance on the 2023 dividend in February.

PKO paid a dividend of 1.83 zlotys per share in 2022.

The lending institution is still waiting for regulators' choice on. undistributed benefit from previous years, which currently. total up to nearly 11 billion zlotys, Niesluchowski said.