KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 21): AMMB Holdings Bhd's net profit for the third quarter ended Dec 31, 2018 (3QFY19) rose 59.8% year-on-year to RM349.88 million from RM218.98 million, mainly from interest on fixed income securities and customer lending.

Revenue for the quarter rose 6.5% to RM2.30 billion from RM2.16 billion a year earlier, said AMMB's Bursa Malaysia filing

Earnings per share was higher at 11.63 sen compared to 7.28 sen previously.

For the nine months ended Dec 31 (9MFY19), AMMB's net profit rose 19% y-o-y to RM1.05 billion from RM878.72 million on the back of a 6.6% increase in revenue to RM6.79 billion from RM6.37 billion a year ago.

In a separate statement, AMMB group chief executive officer Datuk Sulaiman Mohd Tahir said the group's 9MFY19 results demonstrate that its strategies which have been put in place over the last couple of years are bearing fruits on its bottom line and businesses.

"This is reflective by virtue of the fact that our net profit during the period rose 19% year-on-year against a backdrop of slower economic growth and heightened markets volatility. Income was up 2% underpinned by steady loans growth, driving net interest income growth of 5.9%," he said.

On AMMB online offerings, Sulaiman said it was ramping up the digitisation of its financial services.

"We will continue to introduce other new value-added features into our online banking platform and provide a more efficient online banking experience.

"These new features are part of our AmOnline digital roadmap and the promise of a new feature every three months," he said.