#Dubai’s Biggest Bank Profit Slumps After $1.1 Billion Provisions - Bloomberg

Dubai’s Biggest Bank Profit Slumps After $1.1 Billion Provisions - Bloomberg:

Emirates NBD PJSC first-half profit slumped 45% after it set aside $1.1 billion in provisions to cover an expected spike in bad loans brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Dubai’s biggest bank increased impairments allowances more than three times to 4.2 billion dirhams, according to a statement. Profit dropped to 4.1 billion dirhams due to the higher impairment charges and a gain on the sale of a stake in Network International Holdings Plc last year wasn’t repeated.

Emirates NBD joins regional competitors such as Qatar National Bank and Bank Muscat in increasing provisions as they face an “earnings shock” from the plunge in oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic. Pockets of existing vulnerabilities may yield rising nonperforming loans if the dual crises drag on, the International Monetary Fund said this month.

The crisis is also prompting a new wave of consolidation talk among banks in the Middle East, including potential mergers in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.