Record Commercial Portfolio Growth
Commercial portfolio reached $12.0 billion, up 8% quarter-over-quarter and 13% year-over-year; loan balances were $9.7 billion with contingent exposures of $2.1 billion. Growth driven mainly by medium-term transactions across Colombia, Brazil and Guatemala and aligns with targeted growth strategy.
Record Deposits and Improved Funding Mix
Deposits closed at a record $7.3 billion, up 11% quarter-over-quarter and 25% year-over-year, representing 63% of total funding. Yankee CDs surpassed $1.7 billion, enhancing deposit diversification and supporting more stable, cost-efficient funding and margins.
Solid Profitability and Strong Capital Metrics
Net income of $56.4 million, up 9% year-over-year and broadly stable quarter-over-quarter. Return on adjusted equity / ROE was 14.2%. Basel III Tier 1 ratio improved to 17.9% (from 17.4% at YE25). Panama regulatory capital adequacy stood at 14.7%, both levels described as well above regulatory minimums and supportive of growth.
Double-Digit Fee Income Growth and Diversification
Fees and commissions were $13.1 million, up 24% year-over-year despite seasonal softness. Letters of credit and guarantees generated $7.4 million; credit commitments and other commissions reached $2.7 million (more than doubled y/y); structuring and distribution contributed $3.1 million. Management reports a healthy pipeline for syndications and trade-related fees.
Strong Liquidity and Conservative Investment Portfolio
Liquid assets totaled $2.0 billion (14.5% of total assets). Treasury investment portfolio increased 14% year-over-year to $1.44 billion, was ~96% investment grade, geographically diversified outside LATAM, and short duration with average maturity ~1.5 years; ~80% of liquidity placed at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Asset Quality Remains High
Total credit exposure of $13.5 billion with 97.5% in Stage 1, Stage 2 at 2.2% (~$300 million) and Stage 3 at 0.3% (~$39 million). Total allowances were $112 million (coverage ~0.83%), and coverage of impaired credits was strong at 2.9x. Management emphasized proactive monitoring and no material credit events in the quarter.
Efficiency and Operational Improvements
Operating expenses were $22 million and the efficiency ratio was 26.5%, within full-year guidance of ~28%. Operational improvements included reducing letters-of-credit processing times from ~5 hours to about 1 hour, enabling profitable handling of smaller tickets and deeper client penetration.