Investec reports marginal rise in full-year earnings
South African bank Investec reported a marginal rise in full-year earnings on Thursday, 21 May 2026 with client acquisition and growth in lending portfolios offsetting the impact of lower interest rates.
Investec, which also operates in Britain, posted headline earnings per share of 73.1 pence for the year to 31 March, compared with 72.6 pence the previous year.
Pre-provision adjusted operating profit increased 3.5% to £1.1bn ($1.48bn) as revenue grew 4.2% to £2.3bn.
Revenue was supported by lending growth of 9.6% to £35.5bn, continued client acquisition and strong net inflows in discretionary and annuity funds under management.
Net interest income fell 1.6% to £1.3bn, tempered by the so-called endowment effect of declining interest rates, even though it benefited from growth in average lending and a lower cost of funding.
The credit loss ratio - a measure of bad loans against total lending - on core loans improved to 36 basis points, within its through-the-cycle target range of 25 to 45 basis points.
Credit loss impairments rose slightly to £124m.
Investec announced a final dividend of 21 pence per share.
Source: Reuters
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