Banks' profit growth to keep slowing in Q3

Profit growth among listed commercial lenders will continue to slow down in the third quarter, although in a modest way, analysts said.

For the first nine months, the total profits made by listed commercial banks might reach 801.3 billion yuan ($127.30 billion), up 15.8 percent year-on-year, said Changjiang Securities in a report.

The firm forecast that some joint-stock lenders?- such as Minsheng Bank, Industrial Bank, Everbright Bank, Huaxia Bank and Bank of Nanjing?- are likely to register a profit growth of more than 30 percent in the third quarter.

In the first half, the 16 listed banks in China posted profits of 545.3 billion yuan, up 18 percent year-on-year, in contrast to a 34 percent increase during the same period of last year.

The profit growth of listed banks in the first three quarters might turn out to be a better-than-expected 17 percent, as falls in net interest margins were weaker than expected, according to China International Capital Corp Ltd.

In the second quarter, all lenders made a total net profit of 335.6 billion yuan, up 23 percent year-on-year.

China's major banks are likely to register a relatively stable profit growth for the third quarter compared with their smaller rivals, with net income growth of 11 percent, down from 13 percent in the second quarter, said May Yan, director and banking analyst of Barclays Capital Asia Ltd, in an earlier research note.

Banks' profits are expected to show "obvious" declines this year as economic growth slows, credit demand softens, and net interest margins narrow, the China Banking Association said in July.