The profit attributable to equity holders of the company rose by 45.4%, or RM96.3 million, to RM308.5 million compared to the same period in 2006.
The strong performance was mainly attributable to a higher net interest income and other operating income, as well as a significant improvement in performance by the Islamic banking business.
During the six-month period under review, net interest income amounted to RM1.03 billion, an increase of 12.3%, or RM113.3 million, over the corresponding period in 2006. Other operating income rose to RM506.1 million in the six months to June 30, 2007, compared with RM388.6 million recorded in the previous corresponding period. This was an increase of 30.2%, or RM117.5 million, primarily in the form of fee income, foreign exchange income and gains from sale of securities.
