JAKARTA. PT Bank Permata Tbk dismissed the issue about the plan of Standard Chartered to sell their shares in the bank. According to the bank's management, to date the shareholders are still providing supports in terms of capital and technical assistance.

President Director of Bank Permata Armand Roy Arfandy said that the shareholders expressed their financial commitment by acting as the stand by buyers when the bank issued rights in June.

Roy added that the rights issue has increased the capital adequacy ratio from 15.5% in the last year to 19.3% in September 2016.

The management of Bank Permata also confirmed that the Extraordinary Shareholders General Meeting (RUPSLB) on 13 December will not discuss about the sales of shares. The extraordinary meeting will only discuss the change in the management board of Bank Permata.

Previously, rumors circulated that one of Bank Permata shareholders, namely Standard Chartered planned to sell its shares, due to the unsatisfying performance of the bank. Rumor has it that PT Bank Negara Indonesia Tbk (BNI) was planning to the shares of Standard Chartered in Bank Permata. To date, Chartered and PT Astra International Tbk, each controls 45% of Bank Permata shares.

Reducing the NPL

Bank Permata’s performance is depressed this year. Roy said, Bank Permata has some strategies to improve its performance in 2017, including by increasing non-interest income and reducing the ratio of non-performing loan (NPL). It is expected that the bank, which is listed on the stock exchange under the code of BNLI, will gain profits by implementing the strategies.

Furthermore, Bank Permata will enhance the businesses of bancaasurance and fee based of the non-bank products.

As information, as of the third quarter of 2016, Bank Permata has booked a 21% non-interest income compared with the same period in 2015 to rp 1.74 trillion. This derived from the three main businesses, such as bancaasurance, wealth management, and treasury.

In order to reduce the NPL, Bank Permata will focus on increasing the assets’ qualities, restructuring, rescheduling, and strengthening the management asset’s special team.

As of the third quarter of 2016, there are three sectors, which have major contributions to the bank’s NPL, including major and minor trades, manufacturing industry, as well as mining and drilling. Each sector contributed to 28%, 23%, and 14% of Bank Permata’s NPL, respectively.

In order to reduce the NPL ratio, Bank Permata will reduce the portion of wholesale banking business, which consists of 49% of the overall business of Bank Permata.

(Muhammad Farid/Translator)

Editor: Dupla Kartini