Madrid (Reuters) – Caixabank net interest (RNI) income has undergone pressures in the fourth quarter due to the drop in interest rates, although the bank managed to compensate for the impact with an increase in fees and net commissions.

The Spanish group declared a net profit of 1.54 billion euros for the period of September-December, slightly higher than the expectations of analysts who tapped on 1.43 billion euros.

Caixabank has also unveiled a sixth share buy-back program worth 500 million euros, thus achieving its objective of distributing shareholders 12 billion euros, as indicated in its 2022-2024 strategic plan.

The RNI of Caixabank – The difference between what banks gain on loans and what they pay for deposits – fell 0.3% in annual shift to 2.74 billion euros, compared to 2.71 billions of euros expected by analysts, down 1.9% in quarterly sliding.

Caixabank declared to expect an average digital drop in 2025, compared to the 11.11 billion euros recorded in 2024.

The group’s board of directors also approved a total cash payment of 53.5% compared to consolidated net benefit for 2024, equivalent to 2.03 billion euros, after having proposed a gross dividend in cash of 0, 29 euros per share.

This dividend proposal is part of its distribution policy from 50% to 60%.

For the whole year, the net profit of the largest bank in the country in terms of domestic assets increased by 20.2% in annual shift to 5.8 billion euros, which is slightly higher expectations.

(Written by Jesús Aguado; Mara Vîlcu, edited by Augustin Turpin)

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