StanChart Profit Climbs Higher From Balanced Growth
Double-digit income growth across the board led Standard Chartered to register higher profits in the first six months of the year.
Standard Chartered’s reported pre-tax profit in the first half of 2025 rose 26 percent to $4.4 billion, according to the bank’s financial results.
Operating income increased 9 percent to $10.9 billion with growth across the board in wealth solutions (up 23 percent), global markets (up 28 percent) and global banking (up 14 percent). Operating expenses were 5 percent higher at $6 billion while credit impairments totalled $336 million, including a $332 million charge from the wealth and retail banking (WRB) unit.
A share buyback of $1.3 billion will start imminently.
Downside Macro Risks
According to Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters, downside risks remain in the outlook ahead with «elevated trade policy uncertainty and wider geopolitical change», leading the bank to moderate its global growth forecast from the previously projected 3.2 percent to 3.1 percent. Nonetheless, he remains confident, citing expectations of higher growth rates in the bank’s core markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
«We are uniquely positioned to take advantage of growth opportunities that will continue to emerge from the markets in our footprint, generating value for our clients and the communities in which we operate. We remain committed to investing in our core capabilities serving our institutional clients’ cross-border needs, with a particular focus on affluent clients in WRB,» Winters commented.
