Brazil’s private sector banks are firmly in ‘risk-on’ mode, after the third-quarter reporting season.
The economy is expected to grow GDP a little under 1% this year, but the banks are anticipating stronger growth to come and are ramping-up their credit portfolios to retain – or even gain – market share.
Amid many eye-catching statistics, one highlight was the fact that Itaú overtook state-controlled Banco do Brasil in terms of its credit portfolio: Itaú grew its total credit by 8.27% to R$688.9 billion, just ahead of Banco do Brasil’s R$686.7 billion.
Analysts expect Itaú to extend this newly claimed leadership in the quarters ahead, as Banco do Brasil continues to focus on profitability. The bank increased its return on equity (ROE) to 18.0% in the third quarter by de-risking its loan book, which fell by 0.68% in the quarter.
Meanwhile, the other private sector banks were also aggressively extending loans.
Bradesco – the second-largest bank in terms of assets and deposits – grew the most, with a double-digit increase in its credit portfolio (10.49%).
Bradesco outgrew Santander Brazil (which grew credit by 7.35%), but remains less profitable: with an ROE of 20.2%
