Singapore’s largest lender DBS Group Holdings expects internet curiosity earnings to taper off sooner or later, however the financial institution is assured that it will possibly journey on different drivers going ahead, resembling a progress in loans and payment earnings.

On Tuesday, DBS reported document income and internet revenue for the primary quarter. Income got here in at 4.94 billion Singapore {dollars} ($3.7 billion), up 34% from a 12 months in the past, whereas internet revenue stood at SG$2.57 billion, a 43% soar in contrast with the identical interval the final 12 months.

DBS stated this was because of “increased internet curiosity margin, sustained enterprise momentum and resilient asset high quality.” Web curiosity margin, or NIM, rose 66 foundation factors year-on-year to 2.12%, in contrast with 1.46% within the first quarter of 2022.

Web curiosity earnings is a measurement evaluating the curiosity earnings a agency generates from credit score merchandise like loans and mortgages, with the outgoing curiosity it pays out, resembling to financial savings accounts or mounted deposits.

Talking to CNBC’s “Capital Connection,” DBS CEO Piyush Gupta stated NIM’s “have most likely peaked at round these ranges” — about 2.1% for February to April.

Regardless of saying there’ll restricted upside from these ranges, Gupta stated he expects the tempo of decline can be very gradual and never “falling off a cliff.” DBS guided for a full-year common of between 2.05% and a couple of.1% for NIM in 2023.

Geoff Howie, market strategist for equities on the Singapore Trade, agreed with Gupta’s view, saying progress in NIM will develop into tougher as rate of interest hikes, particularly from the U.S. Federal Reserve, begin to taper off.

Talking to CNBC’s “Avenue Indicators Asia,” Howie stated, “From a internet curiosity margin perspective, how do you again up from say, 475 foundation factors of Fed funds hikes over 13 months or so?”

Rising charges typically increase financial institution earnings by permitting banks to lift charges on loans, whereas the curiosity prices to banks — like that paid on deposit accounts — can stay unchanged.

He famous that in 2022, internet curiosity earnings jumped about 30% for Singapore’s three main banks, however as NIMs are “considerably consolidating,” it will likely be tough to proceed this tempo of progress.

Howie factors out “you had 9 consecutive quarters of quarter-on-quarter internet curiosity earnings progress, that is likely to be the top of it for a while, [and] we count on some consolidation within the internet curiosity earnings.”

In mild of the outcomes, the corporate’s board additionally declared a dividend of 42 Singapore cents per share for the primary quarter, increased than the 36 cents in the identical interval a 12 months in the past.

Shares of DBS rose as a lot as 1.37% on Tuesday following the outcomes.

Whereas Gupta sees internet curiosity earnings progress petering out, he stated the financial institution remains to be seeing “wholesome enterprise momentum.” He stated progress forecasts for Asia are nonetheless “fairly strong” regardless of the slowdown within the West.

He famous that “two quarters in the past, everyone was pretty certain there can be a recession [in the West] , and now the jury’s out whether or not they may truly escape a recession. So we predict {that a} slowdown is just not going to be calamitous.”

Gupta stated he continues see supportive fundamentals in Asia, saying “the demographics are good, infrastructure spending is happening, commerce and intra-Asia commerce continues to be strong, wealth administration continues to be very robust”

As such, he stated that these drivers are in place to assist DBS proceed to construct a enterprise “fairly decently” going ahead.