Fubon Financial Holding Co (富邦金控), Taiwan’s second-largest financial service provider by assets, earned NT$2.84 billion (US$96.59 million) in net income last month, a significant rise from the NT$2.25 billion it earned in August, as financial markets stabilized somewhat, the company said in a stock filing yesterday.
The improvement came even though the conglomerate had to set aside NT$650 million in provision to compensate for a possible earnings shortfall at affiliated Taiwan Sports Lottery Corp (運彩科技), the filing said.
Fubon Life Insurance Co (富邦人壽) generated the bulk of earnings, NT$2.27 billion, last month, compared with a meager NT$700 million in August, as foreign currency exchange losses eased, company data showed.
Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank Co (台北富邦銀行) reported NT$790 million in net income last month, weakening from NT$1.07 billion one month earlier, the filing said.
Net profits at Fubon Financial totaled NT$12.12 billion in the third quarter, almost tripling earnings in the second quarter, thanks to cash dividends sized at NT$8.46 billion this year, company data showed.
Cumulative net income amounted to NT$23.08 billion for the first nine months, or NT$2.43 earnings per share (EPS), according to the filing.
Fubon Financial has been mum on reported plans to acquire a majority share in First Sino Bank (華一銀行) to accelerate its expansion in China after its chairman Daniel Tsai (蔡明忠) was seen paying a visit to the Financial Supervisory Commission last week.
Local media said Tsai sought to clarify whether the company’s share acquisition bid falls in line with cross-strait investment rules since China caps foreign stakes in Chinese lenders at 20 percent.
Many suspect that the lender is not subject to the restriction because foreign investors own a majority stake in First Sino. Fubon Financial reportedly plans to make the acquisition via its Hong Kong subsidiary
Separately, state-run Mega Financial Holding Co (兆豐金控) posted NT$1.59 billion in net income last month, raising cumulative profits to NT$17.78 billion, or EPS of NT$1.55, the company said in a stock filing.
Chinatrust Financial Holding Co (中信金控), owner of the nation’s largest credit card issuer — Chinatrust Commercial Bank (中信銀行) — reported NT$1.37 billion in net income last month.
Total earnings equaled NT$15.52 billion as of last month, translating into EPS of NT$1.22, the company said in a statement last week.
Real estate agent and property developer JSL Construction & Development Co (愛山林) led the average compensation rankings among companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) last year, while contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) finished 14th. JSL Construction paid its employees total average compensation of NT$4.78 million (US$159,701), down 13.5 percent from a year earlier, but still ahead of the most profitable listed tech giants, including TSMC, TWSE data showed. Last year, the average compensation (which includes salary, overtime, bonuses and allowances) paid by TSMC rose 21.6 percent to reach about NT$3.33 million, lifting its ranking by 10 notches
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