PANAMA CITY, Feb. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (NYSE: BLX, "Bladex", or "the Bank"), a Panama-based multinational bank originally established by the central banks of 23 Latin-American and Caribbean countries to promote foreign trade and economic integration in the Region, announced today its results for the Fourth Quarter ("4Q24") and Full-year ("FY24") ended December 31, 2024.
(PRNewsfoto/Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (Bladex))
The consolidated financial information in this document has been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB").
Financial & Business Highlights
Record annual Net Profits of $205.9 million in FY24 (+24% YoY), fostered by higher total revenues (+14% YoY), strong efficiency levels and contained credit costs. These remarkable results boosted the Bank's Return on Equity ("ROE") to 16.2% in FY24 (+153 bps YoY).
Strong quarterly profitability, with $51.5 million Net Profit (+11% YoY), enhanced by improved top line performance, reaching an annualized ROE of 15.5% in 4Q24 (stable YoY).
Record Level Net Interest Income ("NII") of $66.9 million in 4Q24 (+2% YoY) and $259.2 million in FY24 (+11% YoY) mainly driven by a constant increase in business volumes throughout the year. Net Interest Margin ("NIM") remained relatively stable at 2.47% in FY24 and stood at 2.44% in 4Q24.
Solid Fee Income of $11.9 million for 4Q24 (+18% YoY), totaling an annual record of $44.4 million for FY24 (+37% YoY), stemming from the continued cross-sell efforts, streamlined processes, the successful execution of structuring transactions and the enhancement of the Bank's Project Finance business.
Efficiency Ratio stood at 29.2% for 4Q24, and 26.5% for FY24, as higher total revenues overcompensated for the increase in operating expenses (+7% YoY in 4Q24; +11% YoY in FY24), mostly associated with higher personnel expenses and other expenses resulting from strategy execution.
New all-time high Credit Portfolio at $11,224 million as of December 31, 2024 (+18% YoY).
Healthy asset quality. Most of the credit portfolio (96.4%) continues to be low risk or Stage 1. At the end of 4Q24, impaired credits (Stage 3) remained at $17 million or 0.2% of total Credit Portfolio, with a reserve coverage of 5.0x.
Expanding deposit base, reaching $5,413 million at the end of 4Q24 (+23% YoY), representing 54% of the Bank's total funding sources. The Bank also counts on ample and constant access to interbank and debt capital markets.
Liquidity position at $1,918 million, or 16% of total assets as of December 31, 2024, mainly consisting of deposits placed with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (53%) and highly rated U.S. banks (33%).
The Bank´s Tier 1 Basel III Capital and Regulatory Capital Adequacy Ratios stood at 15.5% and 13.6%, respectively, enhanced by strong earnings generation and within the Bank's risk appetite.
Financial Snapshot
(US$ million, except percentages and per share amounts)
4Q24
3Q24
4Q23
2024
2023
Key Income Statement Highlights
Net Interest Income ("NII")
$66.9
$66.6
$65.6
$259.2
$233.2
Fees and commissions, net
$11.9
$10.5
$10.1
$44.4
$32.5
(Loss) gain on financial instruments, net
($0.6)
$0.3
$1.9
($0.5)
($0.0)
Total revenues
$78.4
$77.6
$77.8
$303.6
$266.1
Provision for credit losses
($4.0)
($3.5)
($10.0)
($17.3)
($27.5)
Operating expenses
($22.9)
($21.0)
($21.4)
($80.5)
($72.5)
Profit for the period
$51.5
$53.0
$46.4
$205.9
$166.2
Profitability Ratios
Earnings per Share ("EPS") (1)
$1.40
$1.44
$1.27
$5.60
$4.55
Return on Average Equity ("ROE") (2)
15.5 %
16.4 %
15.5 %
16.2 %
14.7 %
Return on Average Assets ("ROA") (3)
1.8 %
1.9 %
1.8 %
1.9 %
1.7 %
Net Interest Margin ("NIM") (4)
2.44 %
2.55 %
2.62 %
2.47 %
2.49 %
Net Interest Spread ("NIS") (5)
1.69 %
1.78 %
1.92 %
1.75 %
1.84 %
Efficiency Ratio (6)
29.2 %
27.1 %
27.6 %
26.5 %
27.2 %
Assets, Capital, Liquidity & Credit Quality
Credit Portfolio (7)
$11,224
$10,875
$9,532
$11,224
$9,532
Commercial Portfolio (8)
$10,035
$9,673
$8,521
$10,035
$8,521
Investment Portfolio
$1,189
$1,202
$1,011
$1,189
$1,011
Total Assets
$11,859
$11,412
$10,744
$11,859
$10,744
Total Equity
$1,337
$1,310
$1,204
$1,337
$1,204
Market Capitalization (9)
$1,309
$1,195
$904
$1,309
$904
Tier 1 Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets (Basel III – IRB) (10)
15.5 %
16.0 %
15.4 %
15.5 %
15.4 %
Capital Adequacy Ratio (Regulatory) (11)
13.6 %
13.7 %
13.6 %
13.6 %
13.6 %
Total Assets / Total Equity (times)
8.9
8.7
8.9
8.9
8.9
Liquid Assets / Total Assets (12)
16.2 %
15.0 %
18.6 %
16.2 %
18.6 %
Credit-impaired Loans to Loan Portfolio (13)
0.2 %
0.2 %
0.1 %
0.2 %
0.1 %
Impaired Credits (14) to Credit Portfolio
0.2 %
0.2 %
0.1 %
0.2 %
0.1 %
Total Allowance for Losses to Credit Portfolio (15)
0.8 %
0.7 %
0.7 %
0.8 %
0.7 %
Total Allowance for Losses to Impaired credits (times) (15)
5.0
4.7
6.5
5.0
6.5
Recent Events
Quarterly dividend payment: The Board of Directors approved a quarterly common dividend of $0.625 per share corresponding to 4Q24. The cash dividend will be paid on March 25, 2025, to shareholders registered as of March 10, 2025.
Bond issuance process in Colombia: On February 14, 2025, Resolution No. 0124 of January 29, 2025, became final and non-appealable, through which the Financial Superintendency of Colombia authorized the registration and public offering of up to COP $300,000,000,000 ordinary bonds of the Bank in the National Registry of Securities and Issuers - Registro Nacional de Valores y Emisores.
CFO succession: As previously announced on Form 6-K submitted to the SEC on November 19, 2024, Mrs. Ana Graciela de Mendez has decided to retire as Chief Financial Officer and will be succeeded by Mrs. Annette van Hoorde de Solis effective in April 2025.
Notes
Numbers and percentages set forth in this earnings release have been rounded and accordingly may not total exactly.
QoQ and YoY refer to quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year variations, respectively.
Footnotes
1. Earnings per Share ("EPS") calculation is based on the average number of shares outstanding during each period.
2. ROE refers to return on average stockholders' equity which is calculated based on unaudited daily average balances.
3. ROA refers to return on average assets which is calculated based on unaudited daily average balances.
4. NIM refers to net interest margin which constitutes to Net Interest Income ("NII") divided by the average balance of interest-earning assets.
5. NIS refers to net interest spread which constitutes the average yield earned on interest-earning assets, less the average yield paid on interest-bearing liabilities.
6. Efficiency Ratio refers to consolidated operating expenses as a percentage of total revenues.
7. The Bank's "Credit Portfolio" includes gross loans outstanding (or the "Loan Portfolio"), securities at FVOCI and at amortized cost, gross of interest receivable and the allowance for expected credit losses, loan commitments and financial guarantee contracts, such as confirmed and stand-by letters of credit and guarantees covering commercial risk; and other assets consisting of customers' liabilities under acceptances.
8. The Bank's "Commercial Portfolio" includes gross loans outstanding, which excludes interest receivable, the allowance for loan losses, and unearned interest and deferred fees (or the "Loan Portfolio"), loan commitments and financial guarantee contracts, such as issued and confirmed letters of credit, stand-by letters of credit, guarantees covering commercial risk and other assets consisting of customers' liabilities under acceptances.
9. Market capitalization corresponds to total outstanding common shares multiplied by market close price at the end of each corresponding period.
10. Tier 1 Capital ratio is calculated according to Basel III capital adequacy guidelines, and as a percentage of risk-weighted assets. Risk-weighted assets are estimated based on Basel III capital adequacy guidelines, utilizing internal-ratings based approach or "IRB" for credit risk and standardized approach for operational risk.
11. As defined by the Superintendency of Banks of Panama through Rules No. 01-2015, 03-2016 and 05-2023, based on Basel III standardized approach. The capital adequacy ratio is defined as the ratio of capital funds to risk-weighted assets, rated according to the asset's categories for credit risk. In addition, risk-weighted assets consider calculations for market risk and operating risk.
12. Liquid assets consist of total cash and due from banks, excluding time deposits with original maturity over 90 days and other restricted deposits, as well as corporate debt securities rated A- or above. Liquidity ratio refers to liquid assets as a percentage of total assets.
13. Loan Portfolio refers to gross loans outstanding, which excludes interest receivable, the allowance for loan losses, and unearned interest and deferred fees. Credit-impaired loans are also commonly referred to as Non-Performing Loans or NPLs.
14. Impaired Credits refers to Non-Performing Loans or NPLs and non-performing securities at FVOCI and at amortized cost.
15. Total allowance for losses refers to allowance for loan losses plus allowance for loan commitments and financial guarantee contract losses and allowance for investment securities losses.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements of expected future developments within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "goal", "seek", "believe", "project", "estimate", "expect", "strategy", "future", "likely", "may", "should", "will" and similar references to future periods. The forward-looking statements in this press release include the Bank's financial position, asset quality and profitability, among others. These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations of the Bank's management and are based on currently available data; however, actual performance and results are subject to future events and uncertainties, which could materially impact the Bank's expectations. Among the factors that can cause actual performance and results to differ materially are as follows: the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and geopolitical events; the anticipated changes in the Bank's credit portfolio; the continuation of the Bank's preferred creditor status; the impact of increasing/decreasing interest rates and of the macroeconomic environment in the Region on the Bank's financial condition; the execution of the Bank's strategies and initiatives, including its revenue diversification strategy; the adequacy of the Bank's allowance for expected credit losses; the need for additional allowance for expected credit losses; the Bank's ability to achieve future growth, to reduce its liquidity levels and increase its leverage; the Bank's ability to maintain its investment-grade credit ratings; the availability and mix of future sources of funding for the Bank's lending operations; potential trading losses; the possibility of fraud; and the adequacy of the Bank's sources of liquidity to replace deposit withdrawals. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
About Bladex
Bladex, a multinational bank originally established by the central banks of Latin-American and Caribbean countries, began operations in 1979 to promote foreign trade and economic integration in the Region. The Bank, headquartered in Panama, also has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States of America, and a Representative License in Peru, supporting the regional expansion and servicing its customer base, which includes financial institutions and corporations.
Bladex is listed on the NYSE in the United States of America (NYSE: BLX), since 1992, and its shareholders include: central banks and state-owned banks and entities representing 23 Latin American countries; commercial banks and financial institutions; and institutional and retail investors through its public listing.
Conference Call Information
There will be a conference call to discuss the Bank's quarterly results on Friday, February 28, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.New York City time (Eastern Time). For those interested in participating, please click here to pre-register to our conference call or visit our website at http://www.bladex.com. Participants should register five minutes before the call is set to begin. The webcast presentation will be available for viewing and downloads on http://www.bladex.com. The conference call will become available for review one hour after its conclusion.
