AUB delivered record profit in Q1
Asia United Bank (AUB) posted another record quarterly profit in the first three months of 2026, supported by strong lending growth, improved margins and continued operational efficiency.
In a disclosure on Monday, the Ng-family led bank said net income had hit P3.2 billion in the January-to-March period, underscoring the bank’s resilience despite a challenging global economic environment.
AUB’s return on equity stood at 19.3 percent, while return on assets reached 3.2 percent during the quarter.
The bank also reported an improvement in its net interest margin, which expanded to 5.3 percent from 5.1 percent a year ago, driven by effective asset-liability management and a strong funding base.
AUB said its capital position remained solid, with capital adequacy ratio rising to 19.3 percent and common equity tier 1 ratio improving to 18.7 percent. Both remained well above regulatory requirements.
The bank’s core business segments likewise posted steady growth.
Total loans and receivables increased by 9.4 percent year-on-year to P276.2 billion, while total deposit liabilities climbed by 8.9 percent to P335.5 billion.
Its current account savings account-to-total deposits ratio also improved to 78 percent from 69 percent previously, giving the bank a larger low-cost funding base.
Meanwhile, AUB’s cost-to-income ratio improved to 30.4 percent from 32.6 percent last year, reflecting tighter operational efficiency.
Despite increasing credit provisions to P331.3 million, the bank maintained a low nonperforming loan (NPL) ratio of 0.44 percent and an NPL coverage ratio of 111.2 percent.
AUB president Manuel Gomez said: “These achievements and our historic-high financial results serve as a powerful validation of our ability to maintain stability and growth in a ‘permacrisis’ environment. Our robust internal controls and investment strategies are built to withstand extreme external shocks while delivering world-class service.”
The bank also highlighted recent recognitions from JP Morgan and Standard Chartered Bank for achieving automated and error-free international fund transfer rates of as high as 99.3 percent for US dollar payments.
Separately, the AUB Peso Investment Fund and AUB Gold Dollar Fund were recognized as “Best Managed Funds” by the CFA Society Philippines earlier this year.
