East West Banking Corporation (EastWest) announced a strong financial performance for the first half of 2025, with net income growing by 19% to P4.1 billion. The significant growth was fueled by the bank’s consistent core revenue generation and robust consumer lending business.
The bank’s Return on Equity (ROE) stood at 11.1%. Overall revenues increased by 17% year-on-year to P23.8 billion. This was supported by a 15% growth in net interest income, which reached P19.2 billion. The bank’s consumer lending business was a key driver, expanding by 15% and accounting for 84% of EastWest’s total loan portfolio. This strong performance was further bolstered by a 29% increase in fee income, which grew to P3.5 billion.
Operating expenses rose at a much slower rate of 9% to P12.7 billion, driven by strategic manpower investments and business expansion. As a result, the bank improved its cost-to-income ratio by 380 basis points to 53.2%, reflecting the faster revenue growth, productivity gains, and digital efficiencies.
“Our core consumer banking businesses are performing well, growing in line with the needs of our customers,” said EastWest CEO Jerry G. Ngo. “Our funding initiatives are likewise supporting our funding structure and growth plans. These are key components of our performance that have led to our steady core income improvement, which, combined with operational efficiencies, pushed our profitability.”
Key initiatives highlighted by the bank include deeper personalization across customer touchpoints and broader access to products and services via the EasyWay App. Client engagement remained a priority, marked by nationwide economic forums, lifestyle events such as the EastWest Dream Run 2025, and partnerships like the EastWest Puregold Always Panalo Visa Credit Card.
President Jackie S. Fernandez noted, “These initiatives, along with the ongoing ‘EasyWay to Bank’ Store transformation, continued to streamline operations and enhance customer experience.”
The bank’s total assets grew by 8% to P537.6 billion, funded primarily by an 11% increase in deposits to P412.6 billion, with a strong CASA ratio of 79%. Capital ratios remain robust and supportive of future growth, with the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) at 13.4% and the CET1 ratio at 12.6%, both well above regulatory standards.
EastWest closed the first half of the year with several notable recognitions, including being named “Mid-Sized Retail Bank of the Year – Philippines” at the Asian Banking & Finance Retail Banking Awards 2025 and “Most Consumer-Centric Bank” at the ASEAN Fintech Forum Awards. The bank also earned Great Place to Work Certification and was recognized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas with the Outstanding BSP Stakeholders Award for its support of the Cash Service Alliance.
