UBL continued its growth momentum with Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs. 25.9 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2021, recording strong growth of 37% year on year. This is the highest half year PBT that the bank has achieved in over a decade. Earnings per share (EPS) were measured at Rs. 12.25 for H1’21 (H1’20: Rs. 9.31). The bank declared dividends of Rs. 4.0 per share for Q2’21, which takes the overall dividend distribution to Rs. 9.8 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2021, with a payout of over 65% of profits. These results have been achieved as the country gradually recovers from the aftermath of COVID 19. Economic activity is gradually picking up largely on the back of large scale manufacturing, construction and the services sectors. The Bank is optimistic that Pakistan will re-emerge as a stronger nation post the pandemic and the pace of recovery will gather momentum in the medium term. Customer centricity is at the core of UBL’s corporate philosophy and the bank is continuously improving its service proposition to meet the evolving needs of its customers. UBL maintains one of the largest banking networks in Pakistan. The bank operates 1,348 branches within Pakistan and 1,435 ATMs, well supported by its award winning Digital App and UBL Omni, the Bank’s branchless banking proposition, which together serve an ever growing customer base of over 10 million nationwide. Branch Banking Group delivered one of the best years in the recent history of the Bank as domestic current deposits witnessed a year on year growth of 22%, the highest in the last 5 years. Domestic total deposits stood at Rs 1.6 trillion with the highest year on year growth of over 20%, with expansion in market share to 8.3%. The bank is investing heavily in the network and its people to enhance capacity and improving service benchmarks with an aim to grow well ahead of the market. UBL Ameen, the bank’s Islamic banking business continues to grow from strength to strength. Its network spans 100 branches and 187 Islamic Banking Windows which recorded a 36% year on year growth in average deposits, the highest since the inception of the business. The bank sees tremendous potential within this space and is targeting a much larger share in this segment. UBL’s net advances stood at Rs. 557 billion as at Jun’21, increasing by 5% since Dec’20. As economic activity gradually returns to pre pandemic levels, the bank is actively looking to expand its portfolio within its risk parameters. The Bank has recently made structural changes to enhance its coverage within the SME space with an aim to emerge much stronger within this growing segment. The Consumer segment continues to perform well, with average growth in the secured autos segment of 14%.