Earnings Release • May 11, 2023
Earnings Release
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| Informazione Regolamentata n. 0147-28-2023 |
Data/Ora Ricezione 11 Maggio 2023 11:46:58 |
Euronext Star Milan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Societa' | : | BANCA IFIS | |
| Identificativo Informazione Regolamentata |
: | 176738 | |
| Nome utilizzatore | : | IFISN01 - DA RIO | |
| Tipologia | : | REGEM; 2.2 | |
| Data/Ora Ricezione | : | 11 Maggio 2023 11:46:58 | |
| Data/Ora Inizio Diffusione presunta |
: | 11 Maggio 2023 11:46:59 | |
| Oggetto | : | Banca Ifis: first quarter net profit, up 31,4% to 45,9 million Euro, confirms strong acceleration in profitability |
|
| Testo del comunicato |
Vedi allegato.


Reclassified data1 - 1 January 2023/31 March 2023
• CET1 comes to 15,21% (15,01% at 31 December 2022) and TCR to 18,45% (18,82% at 31 December 2022), calculated excluding the first quarter 2023 profit.
1 Reclassifications and aggregations of the consolidated income statement concern the following:
• net impairment losses/reversals of the Npl Segment are reclassified to interest receivable and similar income (and therefore to "Net interest income") to the extent to which they represent the operations of this business and are an integral part of the return on the investment;
• net provisions for risks and charges are excluded from the calculation of "Operating costs";
• the following is included under the single item "Net credit risk losses":
– net credit risk losses/reversals relating to financial assets measured at amortised cost (with the exception of those relating to the Npl Segment mentioned above) and to financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income;
– net provisions for risks and charges for credit risk relating to commitments and guarantees granted;
– profits (losses) from the sale/repurchase of loans at amortised cost other than those of the Npl Segment.
2CET1, Tier 1 and Total Capital at 31 March 2023 do not include the profits generated by the Banking Group in the first three months of 2023.

Rome, 11 May 2023 – The Board of Directors of Banca Ifis met today and approved the financial results for the first quarter of 2023.
"The first quarter of 2023 confirmed the further acceleration of Banca Ifis's profitability, driven by favourable revenue and low credit cost trends. The strategy identified in the 2022-2024 Business Plan and focused on enhancing our business model has led us to further strengthen the risk/return ratio also in relation to the current uncertain global macroeconomic context. Our portfolio mainly consists of short-term assets, quality loans, to a large extent secured, and deposits diversified both by maturity and by funding channel: this is why we look positively at the continuation of the current year in which we are resolutely aiming to achieve the profit targets already revised upwards with respect to the targets announced in the Business Plan. We want to position ourselves increasingly as the point of reference for small and medium-sized Italian companies, assisting them through the challenges that the market places before them. All this will further strengthen our already high capacity to remunerate shareholders, which already in 2022 made us the first bank in Italy by dividend-yield" says Frederik Geertman, CEO of Banca Ifis.
In the first quarter of 2023, the Banca Ifis Group net profit amounted to 45,9 million Euro, up 31,4% from the 34,9 million Euro posted in the same period last year.
The Commercial & Corporate Banking Segment's revenues, up 19,0% compared to the first quarter of 2022, reflect the Bank's positive correlation to rising interest rates (85% of the commercial loan portfolio is at floating rates). Factoring and Leasing volumes, which are closely linked to invoice amounts and the price of the underlying assets, showed a favourable dynamic, directly reflecting the increase in inflation and the new commercial initiatives. The focus on shortterm assets allows the Bank to quickly adjust its liquidity profile and commercial strategy: factoring to SMEs, amounting to approximately 2 billion Euro, has an average maturity of 3 months, 70% of receivables due from customers have a maturity of less than 3 years and 90% have a maturity of less than 5 years. Receivables due from customers are almost all secured, thus mitigating the credit risk: factoring has the dual guarantee of the assigned debtor and the assignor, leasing has the guarantee of ownership of the underlying asset, medium-term loans are 80% backed by the state, and receivables from pharmacies usually have the pharmacy itself as collateral. The structured finance portfolio, which represents only 7% of receivables due from customers and is currently all classified as performing, has low leverage (NFP/EBITDA of 2,7x) and prudential provisions against potential macroeconomic risks.
In the Npl Segment, cash recoveries on acquired portfolios amounted to 97,5 million Euro, up 7,0% on the first quarter of 2022. Out-of-court collection activities and new voluntary payment plans, which are being closely monitored by the Bank, do not show any significant impact to date from rising inflation and interest rates. In the period, the Npl portfolio acquired has approximately two-thirds of its value secured by the borrower's labour or other real assets.
The portfolio owned in the Governance & Services and Non-Core Segment benefited from the purchase during the fourth quarter of 2022 of a portfolio of debt securities issued by leading European financial and corporate institutions with a particularly attractive risk-return ratio. Some long-dated government bonds were sold in the first quarter, benefiting from a particularly favourable market momentum.
The prudent credit policy led to a further 5 million Euro increase in the reserves set aside for potential macroeconomic risks. The Gross Npe Ratio and the Net Npe Ratio stand respectively at 6,1% and 4,1%. These figures would come in respectively at 4,5% and 2,5% excluding reclassifications resulting from the application of the New Definition of Default regulations to receivables from the National Health System (NHS), which are characterised by limited credit risk and long payment terms.
Deposits from customers, which are unchanged in the first three months of the year, consist of more than 90% of the retail component and are diversified in terms of maturity and funding and channel. Deposits in the Rendimax account are approximately two-thirds term and 83% guaranteed by the Interbank Fund, being less than 100.000 Euro. The cost of deposits, up from the previous quarter, is nevertheless in line with our forecasts.
The capital ratios of both the Bank and the Group are well above the minimum required levels, with a consolidated CET1 Ratio of 15,21% (15,01% at 31 December 2022) and a consolidated Total Capital Ratio of 18,45% (18,82% at 31 December 2022).

On 20 April 2023, the Shareholders' Meeting approved the distribution of a balance on the dividend for FY 2022 of 0,40 Euro (gross of withholding taxes) for each of the Banca Ifis shares issued and outstanding (and therefore excluding treasury shares held by the Bank). The total 2022 dividend (interim payment and balance) thus amounts to 1,40 Euro per share. The balance on the 2022 dividend will be paid with ex-dividend date 22 May 2023, record date of 23 May 2023 and payment date of 24 May 2023.
The Banca Ifis Group's consolidated income statement at 31 March 2023 closes with a profit attributable to the Parent company of 45,9 million Euro.
Highlights from the Banca Ifis Group's income statements for the first three months of 2023 are set out below.
Net banking income totals 175,8 million Euro, up 7,7% from 163,3 million Euro at 31 March 2022. Contributing to this result is the growth of the Factoring Area, with 42,8 million Euro and an increase of 7,3%, thanks to the increase in net interest income and net commissions, the good performance of the Leasing Area (15,3 million Euro, a figure essentially stable compared to 31 March 2022) and the better performance of the Corporate Banking & Lending Area (29,8 million Euro, +58,7% compared to the figure of 31 March 2022).
The Npl Segment's net banking income amounts to 69,5 million Euro and remains stable compared to the same period last year, mainly due to higher interest income (related to the increase in the average value of the underlying loans) and the good performance of legal collection mainly attributable to the higher number of foreclosures and repossessions produced. These changes were offset by lower out-of-court collections and lower gains on disposals.
The Governance & Services and Non-Core Segment's net banking income amounts to 18,5 million Euro, down 1,2 million Euro compared to the first quarter of 2022, and is driven by an increase in the Non-Core Area of 1,4 million Euro, mainly due to the collection of late payment interest on an impaired position, offset by the lower contribution of the Governance & Services Area of 2,6 million Euro.
Net credit risk losses of 10,0 million Euro are down 7,0 million Euro compared to Q1 2022. In the first quarter of 2022 this item included prudential adjustments on commercial positions with higher vintage, mainly related to positions with the NHS.
Operating costs total 91,1 million Euro, showing an increase on 31 March 2022 (+3,7%). The reclassified cost/income ratio totals 51,8%, compared to 53,8% in March 2022. Below are details of the item's main components:
3 Reclassifications and aggregations of the consolidated income statement concern the following:
• net impairment losses/reversals of the Npl Segment are reclassified to interest receivable and similar income (and therefore to "Net interest income") to the extent to which they represent the operations of this business and are an integral part of the return on the investment;
• net provisions for risks and charges are excluded from the calculation of "Operating costs";
• the following is included under the single item "Net credit risk losses/reversals": – net credit risk losses/reversals relating to financial assets measured at amortised cost (with the exception of those relating to the Npl Segment mentioned above) and to financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income;
– net provisions for risks and charges for credit risk relating to commitments and guarantees granted;
– profits (losses) from the sale/repurchase of loans at amortised cost other than those of the Npl Segment.

At 31 March 2023, net allocations to provisions for risks and charges amount to 6,4 million Euro, substantially unchanged from 31 March 2022, and are almost entirely represented by the provision for the Single Resolution Fund.
The net profit attributable to the Parent company amounts to 45,9 million Euro, up 31,4% on the same period of 2022.
Below are the main dynamics recorded in the individual Segments that go towards forming the financial results at 31 March 2023.
Net profit of the Commercial & Corporate Banking Segment comes to 23,7 million Euro, 9,5 million Euro higher (+66,7%) than at 31 March 2022. This result is driven by the growth in net interest income of 5,0 million Euro (+9,5%), net commissions (+3,1 million Euro, or +15,3%) and other components of net banking income of 5,9 million Euro, as well as by net adjustments of 2,4 million Euro (-16,4%).
Net banking income derives from the combined effect of the various Areas of the Segment, as described below:
Net credit risk losses on receivables amount to 12,1 million Euro, an improvement of 2,4 million Euro compared to 31 March 2022, despite including 5 million Euro in prudent adjustments on the performing portfolio. During the first quarter of 2022, prudential provisions had been made on commercial positions with higher vintage, mainly related to positions with the NHS.
The increase in operating costs of 2,3 million Euro compared to 31 March 2022 is essentially due to the rise in personnel expenses due to both the increase in headcount and higher variable remuneration.
Period profit of the Npl Segment is 19,1 million Euro, essentially in line with the figure at 31 March 2022. The Segment's net banking income amounts to 69,5 million Euro, also in line with the figure for the same period of the previous year, as the growth in interest income linked to the increase in average loans and the better performance of legal inflows were substantially offset by the lower contribution of out-of-court management and lower profits from the sale of Npl portfolios.
Operating costs of 41,2 million Euro at 31 March 2023 are in line with the first quarter of 2022.
Collections of the Npl Segment in the first quarter of 2023 come to 97,5 million Euro, including the instalments collected during the period from realignment plans, from garnishment orders and transactions carried out and rise by 7,0% on the collections of 91,1 million Euro made in the first quarter of 2022.
The profit of the Governance & Services and Non-Core Segment at 31 March 2023 amounts to 3,6 million Euro, a significant increase from the 31 March 2022 figure of 1,7 million Euro (+103,8%). The Segment's net banking income amounts to 18,5 million Euro, down 1,2 million Euro compared to the first quarter of 2022, and is driven by an increase in the Non-Core Area of 1,4 million Euro, mainly due to the collection of late payment interest on an impaired position, offset by the lower contribution of the Governance & Services Area of 2,6 million Euro.
The credit cost improves by 4,7 million Euro. The figure at 31 March 2023 stands at net reversals of 2,1 million Euro, benefiting from recoveries on positions that had previously been fully written down, and is in contrast to net adjustments of 2,5 million Euro in March 2022, which were affected by provisions on a singularly significant position.

Operating costs come to 9,3 million Euro, up 0,8 million Euro on 31 March 2022. This change is linked to the increased activities in the area of Communication, Marketing, Public Affairs & Sustainability during the first quarter of 2023, the year of Banca Ifis' 40th anniversary.
Total receivables due from customers measured at amortised cost amount to 9.833,7 million Euro, a reduction on 31 December 2022 (10.186,9 million Euro). The item includes debt securities in the amount of 1,9 billion Euro (broadly in line with the figure for year-end 2022), of which 1,5 billion Euro related to government bonds. The Commercial & Corporate Banking Segment records a slowdown (-4,3%) concentrated in the Factoring Area (-10,5%), against the substantial stability of the Leasing Area and Corporate Banking & Lending Area. The Governance & Services and Non-Core Segment decreases by 51,2 million Euro, while the Npl Segment's receivables are substantially stable compared to 31 December 2022.
During the first quarter of 2023, the Group continued its strategy of differentiating between distribution channels, in order to ensure a better balance with respect to retail funding. The Group has liquidity of more than 1,4 billion Euro at 31 March 2023 (in reserves and free assets that can be financed in the ECB), thereby enabling it to easily respect the LCR and NSFR limits (with indexes more than of 800% and 100%, respectively).
Total funding amounts to 11.111,9 million Euro at 31 March 2023 and is in line with the figure at 31 December 2022; it is represented for 45,8% by payables due to customers (in line with respect to 31 December 2022), for 27,9% by payables due to banks (30,7% at 31 December 2022), and for 26,3% by debt securities issued (23,4% at 31 December 2022). The Group's funding structure is as follows:
Amounts due to banks come to 3.095,0 million Euro, down 9,6% compared to the figure for end December 2022 due to the onset maturity of short-term payables due to central banks (LTRO) equal to 400,5 million Euro by end 2022.
Payables due to customers at 31 March 2023 total 5.091,0 million Euro, essentially stable compared with 31 December 2022 where, in respect of a substantial stability of retail funding, which comes to 4.253,7 million Euro at end March 2023 (+2,3%), a reduction is recorded following repurchase agreements in place at 31 December 2022.
Securities issued amount to 2.925,9 million Euro at 31 March 2023, up 12,3% from 31 December 2022, mainly due to the issue by Banca Ifis of a 300 million Euro bond with a 4-year maturity, as better described in the "Significant events during the period" section below.
At 31 March 2023, the Group's Consolidated equity totals 1.650,4 million Euro, up 3,3% on the 1.597,8 million Euro booked at end 2022. The main changes can be traced back to:
4 CET1, Tier 1 and Total Capital at 31 March 2023 do not include the profits generated by the Banking Group in the first three months of 2023.

At 31 March 2023, the equity ratios for the Banca Ifis Group amount to a CET1 Ratio of 15,21% (15,01% at 31 December 2022), a Tier 1 Ratio of 15,22% (15,02% at 31 December 2022) and a Total Capital Ratio of 18,45% (18,82% at 31 December 2022).
Please note that the Bank of Italy, following the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP) to review the capitalisation targets of the system's largest intermediaries, adopted the following capital requirements for the Banca Ifis Group, including a 2,5% capital conservation buffer:
In order to ensure a level of capital that can absorb any losses arising from stress scenarios, as referred to in Article 104 ter of EU Directive 36/2013, the Bank of Italy has set the following capital levels for the Banca Ifis Group, to which the specific countercyclical coefficient is added:
At 31 March 2023, the Banca Ifis Group easily meets the above prudential requirements.
The Banca Ifis Group transparently and promptly discloses information to the market, constantly publishing information on significant events through press releases. Please visit the "Press Releases" and the subsection of the "Investor Relations" section of the institutional website www.bancaifis.it to view all press releases.
Here below is a summary of the most significant events in the first quarter of 2023.
On 12 January 2023, Banca Ifis successfully completed the placement of a Senior Preferred bond issue under its EMTN programme amounting to 300 million Euro. The transaction was intended for institutional investors. Specifically, the issue has a maturity of four years, with a settlement date scheduled for 19 January 2023. The reoffer price is 99,569, for a return at maturity of 6,25% and a coupon that is payable annually in the amount of 6,125%. The bond will be listed on Euronext Dublin and has an expected rating of BB+ by Fitch and Baa3 by Moody's. The placement of this bond is part of the EMTN funding programme envisaged in the Group's 2022-2024 Business Plan, which estimates 2,5 billion Euro of new placements.
The Shareholders' Meeting of Banca Ifis, which met on 20 April 2023 in single call, chaired by Ernesto Fürstenberg Fassio in accordance with the applicable provisions, and hence in the manner set out in Art. 106 of Decree-Law no. 18 of 17 March 2020, approved:


Pursuant to article 154 bis, paragraph 2 of the Consolidated Law on Finance, the designated Manager Charged with preparing the Company's financial reports, Massimo Luigi Zanaboni, declares that the financial information contained in this press release corresponds to the related books and accounting records.


Reclassifications and aggregations of the consolidated income statement concern the following:
| ASSETS (in thousands of Euro) |
31.03.2023 | 31.12.2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents | 907.340 | 603.134 |
| Financial assets held for trading through profit or loss | 25.223 | 26.868 |
| Financial assets mandatorily measured at fair value through profit or loss | 179.462 | 195.220 |
| Financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income |
757.833 | 697.611 |
| Receivables due from banks measured at amortised cost | 619.127 | 565.762 |
| Receivables due from customers measured at amortised cost | 9.833.722 | 10.186.932 |
| Property, plant and equipment | 128.399 | 126.341 |
| Intangible assets | 67.054 | 64.264 |
| of which: | ||
| - goodwill | 38.020 | 38.020 |
| Tax assets: | 320.158 | 325.181 |
| a) current | 60.829 | 60.924 |
| b) prepaid | 259.329 | 264.257 |
| Other assets | 461.372 | 471.064 |
| Total assets | 13.299.690 | 13.262.377 |

| LIABILITIES AND EQUITY (in thousands of Euro) |
31.03.2023 | 31.12.2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Payables due to banks | 3.095.014 | 3.422.160 |
| Payables due to customers | 5.090.965 | 5.103.343 |
| Debt securities issued | 2.925.872 | 2.605.195 |
| Financial liabilities held for trading | 23.844 | 25.982 |
| Tax liabilities: | 59.149 | 52.298 |
| a) current | 28.839 | 21.961 |
| b) deferred | 30.310 | 30.337 |
| Other liabilities | 385.698 | 391.697 |
| Post-employment benefits | 7.879 | 7.696 |
| Provisions for risks and charges | 60.915 | 56.225 |
| Valuation reserves | (53.504) | (59.722) |
| Reserves | 1.582.068 | 1.440.944 |
| Interim dividends (-) | (52.433) | (52.433) |
| Share premiums | 83.767 | 83.767 |
| Share capital | 53.811 | 53.811 |
| Treasury shares (-) | (22.104) | (22.104) |
| Equity attributable to non-controlling interests (+/-) | 12.835 | 12.432 |
| Profit for the period | 45.914 | 141.086 |
| Total liabilities and equity | 13.299.690 | 13.262.377 |
| ITEMS (in thousands of Euro) |
31.03.2023 | 31.03.2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Net interest income | 139.439 | 131.069 |
| Net commission income | 23.327 | 20.725 |
| Other components of net banking income | 13.059 | 11.530 |
| Net banking income | 175.825 | 163.324 |
| Net credit risk losses/reversals | (9.971) | (17.008) |
| Net profit (loss) from financial activities | 165.854 | 146.316 |
| Administrative expenses: | (93.530) | (90.133) |
| a) personnel expenses | (39.708) | (36.565) |
| b) other administrative expenses | (53.822) | (53.568) |
| Net impairment losses/reversals on property, plant and equipment and intangible assets |
(4.202) | (4.080) |
| Other operating income/expenses | 6.642 | 6.390 |
| Operating costs | (91.090) | (87.823) |
| Net allocations to provisions for risks and charges | (6.368) | (6.422) |
| Pre-tax profit (loss) for the period from continuing operations | 68.396 | 52.071 |
| Income taxes for the period relating to continuing operations | (22.078) | (16.720) |
| Profit (loss) for the period | 46.318 | 35.351 |
| (Profit) loss for the period attributable to non-controlling interests | (404) | (403) |
| Profit (loss) for the period attributable to the Parent company | 45.914 | 34.948 |



| OWN FUNDS AND CAPITAL ADEQUACY RATIOS | AMOUNTS | |
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands of Euro) | 31.03.2023(1) | 31.12.2022 |
| Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital | 1.507.178 | 1.520.570 |
| Tier 1 capital | 1.508.148 | 1.521.490 |
| Total Own Funds | 1.827.815 | 1.906.288 |
| Total RWAs | 9.906.278 | 10.128.064 |
| CET1 Ratio | 15,21% | 15,01% |
| Tier 1 Ratio | 15,22% | 15,02% |
| Total Capital Ratio | 18,45% | 18,82% |
(1) CET1, Tier 1 and Total Capital at 31 March 2023 do not include the profits generated by the Banking Group in the first three months of 2023.
Rosalba Benedetto Director Communication, Marketing, Public Affairs & Sustainability
Davide Tammaro Head of Brand, Corporate Communications & Sustainability [email protected] +39 366 6258525
Martino Da Rio Head of IR and Corporate Development +39 02 24129953
Davide Pastore Media Relations Manager [email protected] +39 337 1115357

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