DUBAI: Doha Bank, Qatar’s fifth-largest lender by assets, reported a 84.8 percent decline in fourth-quarter net profit on Sunday, according to Reuters calculations, missing analyst expectations. The bank earned a net profit of 35 million riyals ($9.61 million) in the three months to Dec. 31 against 231.4 million riyals in the same period of the previous year, Reuters calculations showed, using financial statements in lieu of a quarterly earnings breakdown. Three analysts polled by Reuters had forecast on average the bank would make a quarterly net profit of 215.58 million riyals.
The bank posted annual 2016 net profit of 1.05 billion riyals, lower than the 1.37 billion riyals it reported in 2015, according to its statement. The bank did not provide reasons for the decline. Lenders across the Gulf are struggling against the fallout from a prolonged dip in energy prices, which has hurt lending growth and tightened liquidity.
The bank said on Nov. 17 it would recommend to shareholders to raise the capital of the bank by 20 percent during the first half of 2017 by issuing new shares to shareholders. Several other Gulf banks have taken similar steps to boost capital in recent months as economic growth slows and they look to prepare for looming global regulations requiring banks to beef up their reserves. The bank’s statement added its board was recommending a cash dividend of 3 riyals per share for 2016, the same for 2015. Doha Bank picked banks for a conventional bond issue, banking sources told Reuters on Nov. 16.
