Operating profit at Danske Bank rose to £119.6 million (from £103.2 million in 2024) for the first half of this year. Total income also rose from £188.2 million to £206.9 million while both loans and customer deposits were also on the up.
Mortgage lending approvals in Northern Ireland have increased by around 12% year-on-year and Danske Bank CEO Vicky Davies says that the bank expects a healthy level or mortgage lending to continue locally.
Danske also underlines its commitment to business banking here.
“During the first half of the year we supported the Northern Ireland business community with over £550 million in business lending approvals. We welcomed around 900 new small business customers over this period, with many attracted by the two years’ fee-free banking that we are offering new-to-bank small businesses who open a Danske Bank small business digital account.
“We are seeing increased demand from larger business customers for sustainability-linked lending, and in quarter two we announced our biggest ever loan of this type. The £75m facility with Radius Housing sees the cost of debt linked to the customer’s sustainability ambitions, including alignment with their objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy performance across their property estate.
“The Bank has reinforced its commitment to the North West with the announcement that we will be establishing a new office at Ebrington Plaza in Derry-Londonderry. Around 40 colleagues will relocate from Shipquay Place in the city to this Grade A modern office space, which will become home to our regional Customer Protection Centre team and serve as a base when required for our local mortgage advisers, small business advisers and agribusiness managers. We expect to take up residency from November.”
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