Obi 1 Kanobi wrote:VituVingiSana wrote:KulaRaha wrote:Kenyan banks derive 70% of revenue from net interest income. Enough said.
Isn't the primary business of banks to "borrow" and then "lend" money?
The 30% from "non-interest income" is quite high. Banks can always boost it by charging 3% Commitment Fees (instead of 1%) and a lower Interest Rate.
The desirable int;non int split for sustainable growth should be 55:45.
Mature banks earn significant income from trade and transaction banking, that's how banks majuu can afford to lend at margins of 1%.
Money lending is a commodity and should only give you good returns when you move bulk.
However, trade services like Guarantees, LC's, cash handling services etc earn you income without you risking your own capital
I always get scared when I see "trading income" on a bank's P&L. Some banks eg Citibank and SCBK are good at this. Probably even CFC Stanbic. For the rest, I am not sure.
When banks "trade" they are often trading securities & forex and these traders are often young and brash [adrenaline fueled] chaps.
I prefer a bank that make money the old fashioned way. Borrow at 8% and Lend at 14%.
Yes, there is money/margin to be made from "regular" forex [buy from @VVS sell to @Aguy] with a reasonable margin but not speculating.
Yes, there is money to be made from providing LCs, guarantees, etc. Again, reasonable charges that benefit the customer AND the bank.
Yes, there are reasonable fees to be made on other ancillary services.
I do not believe banks should be making profits on ATM/Agent use be it for deposits and withdrawals. I look at ATMs/Agents as a channel that's cheaper to operate than branches.
Yes, I am old-fashioned. While you want banks with 55:45 ratio, I am happier with banks whose "other" charges are reasonable especially those for depositors and have a 80:20 ratio.
I want a bank that doesn't charge me every time I make a deposit, withdrawal, balance enquiry, etc. I don't want a bank that charges me 5% spread on forex. I want a bank who sends me [or gives me access] to statements at any time free of charge.
Some Wazuans complained about Equity, which apparently charged a fee on INCOMING EFTs. I pay ZERO on my incoming EFTs. I hate being nickled and dimed. There's no point in a low(er) interest rate loan loaded with charges for everything than a high(er) interest loan that is all-inclusive.
BTW, banks (or any business) that treat their customers well [even if not the cheapest] and with dignity generally tend to be the most profitable/sustainable.
Greedy when others are fearful. Very fearful when others are greedy - to paraphrase Warren Buffett