PETALING JAYA: CIMB Group Holdings Bhd posted a net profit of RM2.077 billion for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2025 (Q3’25), an increase of 2.35% from RM2.03 billion registered in the same quarter last year.
Revenue for the quarter increased 3.59% to RM5.947 billion from RM5.741 billion in Q3’24.
For the nine-month (9M’25) period, net profit rose 0.21% to RM5.94 billion from RM5.927 billion for 9M’24, while revenue for the period increased 0.44% to RM17.048 billion from RM16.973 billion, with an annualised return on average equity of 11.3%, driven by disciplined execution of its Forward30 strategy, notwithstanding macroeconomic headwinds and persistent rate cuts.
CIMB registered earnings per share of 55.3 sen.
Operating income grew by 6.2% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), underpinned by strong non-interest income (NOII) of RM2.13 billion, up 20.3% QoQ.
Net interest income remained stable at RM3.82 billion despite a series of rate cuts in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Group net interest margin was resilient at 2.08% driven by strategic repricing and proactive capital management from previous quarters, which mitigated the impact of persistent rate cuts.
The banking group’s capital remained healthy with the Common Equity Tier 1 ratio improving about 10bps QoQ to 14.8% as of September 2025, well within the group’s FY25 target.
Given CIMB’s strengthened capital position, the group has announced its intention to return up to RM2 billion of capital to shareholders by the end of 2027, to be executed via special dividends and/or share buybacks, subject to market conditions and regulatory approvals.
As part of the capital return, CIMB announced a special dividend of up to RM760.2 million, or 7 sen per share, payable to shareholders on Dec 24. This will be in addition to the regular dividends paid by the group.
On a constant currency basis, total deposits and current account savings account (Casa) balances grew by 9.1% to RM518.1 billion and 15.3% YoY, respectively, increasing the group’s Casa ratio to 44.1% as at September.
CIMB said this is attributable to the group’s Forward30 cash strategy, which successfully cushioned NIM compression this year amid persistent rate cuts.
Gross loans expanded 3.3% YoY to RM448.2 billion, and assets grew 5.1% YoY to RM778.5 billion.
For 9M’25, operating expenses grew at a disciplined 1.6% YoY, resulting in a cost-to-income ratio of 46.5%, without compromising investments in technology and operational resilience.
Pre-provisioning operating profit remained stable YoY at RM9.13 billion.
Asset quality was stable, supported by continued corporate recoveries in Q3’25 as total provisions declined to RM330 million, reflecting stable credit performance across key portfolios.
Loan loss charge normalised to 33bps, within the group’s full-year guidance. Gross impaired loans ratio improved to 1.9% and allowance coverage improved to 102.8% as of September.
CIMB Group CEO Novan Amirudin said the banking group is always disciplined with capital and confident in its long-term performance trajectory.
“With this, we can return capital to shareholders in a measured and responsible manner, while ensuring we remain well-positioned for future growth. We continue to serve all customer segments from individuals to MSMEs, to large corporates and governments across Asean.
“Our resilient performance this quarter underscores the strength of our diversified franchise, the trust of our customers, and the impact of our digital and operational enhancements driven under our Forward30 strategy. The momentum will carry through to anchor our ability to navigate a challenging macroeconomic landscape.”
He added, “As we head into the final quarter of 2025, we remain optimistic in closing the year on a firm footing and meeting all our targets.
“Our diversified portfolio and disciplined execution will continue to ensure we remain resilient despite the macroeconomic headwinds and challenges. While it may take some time for the dust to settle with the new world order, we expect NIMs to stabilise, and we will continue investing for long-term growth.”
