Press Release
Outside trading hours - Regulated information
Brussels, 13 February 2020 (07.00 a.m. CET)
Fourth-quarter result of 702 million euros
We generated a net profit of 702 million euros in the fourth quarter of 2019. This excellent performance was accounted for mainly by the quarter-on-quarter increases in trading and fair value income, technical income from our insurance activities and net interest income, partly offset by higher loan loss impairment charges and seasonally higher costs. Adding this fourth-quarter figure to the 1 787 million euros recorded in the first nine months of the year brings our net result to a solid 2 489 million euros for full-year 2019. This is 3% below the 2 570 million euros recorded for full-year 2018.
Our solvency position remained strong with a common equity ratio of 16.1%. We will propose to the General Meeting of Shareholders in May of this year to set the total (gross) dividend for 2019 at 3.5 euros per share, meaning that – following payment of the interim dividend of 1 euro per share in November 2019 – the final gross dividend to be paid in May will be 2.5 euros per share. We will also propose a buy-back of maximum 5.5 million shares, subject to the prior approval of the ECB. This will lead to a CET1 ratio (after capital distribution) of approximately 15.7%. Including the proposed total dividend, AT1 coupon and share buy-back, the pay-out ratio will amount to approximately 76% for financial year 2019.
On the sustainability front, KBC has endorsed the ‘Collective Commitment to Climate Action’ and is committed to stimulating the greening of the economy and to limiting global warming in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Therefore, we pursue an open dialogue and communicate transparently with our customers and stakeholders on how we approach sustainability and to get a clear idea of their expectations. We also help our customers by supporting their transition to a greener future. For instance, in 2019, we concluded our first syndicated green loan within the shipping sector. This loan was structured according to the 'Green Loan Principles' as drawn up by the Loan Market Association, whose aim is to promote investments in green projects by providing banks and businesses with guidelines on the characteristics of such loans.
Our role as a pioneer in the field of sustainable investments was again highlighted when our SRI funds were awarded Febelfin quality certification for sustainable investment.
In our role towards customers and all other stakeholders, we aim to actively support the communities and economies in which we operate and to further build on future-proof digital transformation and customer solutions. We were, therefore, delighted to receive a series of awards in 4Q19. This reflects the appreciation in which our customer-oriented innovations are held and reaffirms our strategy going forward.
Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that our customers and all other stakeholders benefit from our activities, something which our employees are committed in their day-to-day work. In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to explicitly thank all those stakeholders who have put their trust in us.
Johan Thijs
Chief Executive Officer
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