Standard Chartered Group has recently delivered a robust set of financial results. Against a backdrop of macroeconomic headwinds and a global interest rate cutting cycle, the group not only surpassed the 13% return on tangible equity threshold a full year ahead of schedule but also announced a new $1.5 billion share buyback program and a 65% increase in the full-year dividend.
Looking beyond the surface of high growth, a fundamental restructuring of Standard Chartered's core business logic is underway. The bank is reducing its reliance on traditional net interest income from deposits and loans and accelerating its evolution into a light-capital "wealth management and cross-border transaction intermediary." A growing divergence between revenue and profit underscores this trend: In 2025, Standard Chartered's underlying operating income reached $20.894 billion, a 6% year-on-year increase, while its underlying profit before tax hit $7.9 billion, surging 18% year-on-year. This positive revenue-to-cost differential indicates the company has leveraged effects from cost control and balance sheet optimization.
During the period, Standard Chartered's underlying RoTE jumped 300 basis points to 14.7%, while its core CET1 ratio remained at a strong level of 14.1%. Based on this strength, the board announced a new $1.5 billion buyback and significantly increased the full-year dividend to 61 cents per share. Behind this capital celebration lies a shift in the fundamental business model.
As global central banks enter a rate-cutting cycle, the traditional model of profiting from interest rate spreads has peaked in the short term. Standard Chartered's net interest income for 2025 saw only a marginal 1% increase to $11.2 billion, with the net interest margin narrowing by 3 basis points to 2.03%. The real growth engine has been taken over by non-interest income. During the reporting period, Standard Chartered's non-interest income surged 13% year-on-year to $9.7 billion, with the Wealth Solutions business being the standout performer, its revenue skyrocketing 24% to $3.086 billion.
In 2025, Standard Chartered attracted 275,000 new affluent clients, with net new money inflows from affluent clients reaching $52 billion. By capturing funds from wealthy individuals in key trade corridors like Asia and the Middle East, the bank has successfully executed a shift in momentum. This strategic pivot towards a light-asset intermediary model is also evident in other segments. Both Global Markets and Global Banking businesses recorded growth of 12% and 15% respectively, as the bank's role increasingly evolves towards that of a service provider, lender, and intermediary.
However, amid macroeconomic challenges, Standard Chartered's non-linear macroeconomic provisions increased by $70 million, and management raised the probability weighting of a downside scenario from 32% to 41%. This detail indicates that, facing potential future geopolitical volatility and tariff frictions, Standard Chartered has maintained ample safety margins and stress-testing capacity in its risk control framework.
The various data points suggest that concerns over a heavy balance sheet and bad debts are now in the past. The key factor for the bank's future valuation trajectory will likely be when the market fully endorses the re-rating logic of Standard Chartered as a light-asset wealth intermediary.