Philippine National Bank (PSE: PNB), one of the biggest banks in the Philippines, announced that it earned ₱6.37 billion in the first three months of 2026. That’s 5% more money compared to the same period last year.

To understand what happened, think of a bank like a business that makes money in different ways – mostly by lending money to people and businesses, and by charging fees for services.

How Did PNB Make More Money?

According to the bank’s announcement, PNB grew its profits through several ways:

• More loans: The bank lent out more money to customers. Their total loans grew by 15% compared to last year. When banks lend money, they charge interest (extra money you pay back), which becomes their income.
• Higher interest income: The money PNB earned from lending (called “net interest income”) went up by 6%.
• More fees: The bank also earned 6% more from fees – these are charges for services like bank transfers, credit cards, and other banking services.
• Controlled expenses: PNB was careful about how much money it spent on running the bank.

How Much Money Does PNB Have?

The bank reported that customer deposits (money people and businesses keep in the bank) reached ₱1.01 trillion. That’s over 1 trillion pesos!

What’s interesting is that 80% of these deposits are in CASA accounts – which stands for “Current and Savings Accounts.” This is good for the bank because these types of accounts usually pay lower interest to customers, meaning the bank keeps more of the money it earns from loans.

What Do the Numbers Mean?

PNB’s Chief Financial Officer Francis Albalate shared that the bank’s return on assets (ROA) was 1.91% in the first quarter. In simple terms, this measures how good the bank is at using its assets (things it owns, like cash and loans) to make money. The higher this number, the better the bank is at making profit from what it has.

The bank’s return on equity (ROE) was 10.8%. This shows how much profit the bank makes compared to the money shareholders have invested. It’s another way to measure if the bank is doing well for its owners.

Are PNB’s Loans Safe?

The bank’s non-performing loan (NPL) ratio was 4.78%. This is the percentage of loans where borrowers aren’t paying back on time. While banks always have some loans that don’t get paid back, keeping this number stable is important for the bank’s health.

What Did the Bank’s Leaders Say?

PNB’s President and CEO Edwin Bautista explained that despite challenges in the global economy, the bank had a solid first quarter. He mentioned that PNB is focusing on growing carefully, controlling costs, improving the quality of its loans, and continuing to develop digital services and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Recent Recognition

PNB received several awards and positive ratings recently:

• Moody’s Ratings, a company that grades banks on how safe and reliable they are, confirmed PNB’s investment-grade credit rating with a “stable outlook.” Moody’s also noted that PNB has the strongest capital position among similar banks – meaning it has plenty of money to handle its business safely.
• Forbes magazine included PNB in its “World’s Best Banks 2026” list. Only eight Philippine banks made this international list, which was based on a survey of over 54,000 people across 34 countries. People rated banks on trust, customer service, digital services, contract terms, and financial advice quality.
• Philippine Dealing System (PDS) Group named PNB as the Top Fixed Income Brokering Participant. This is the third year in a row PNB received this award, showing the bank’s strong performance in the Philippine fixed-income market (where bonds and similar investments are traded).

About Philippine National Bank

Philippine National Bank is one of the largest private universal banks in the Philippines, measured by assets and deposits. The bank has been operating for over a century and serves many different types of customers including individual savers, small and medium businesses, large corporations, government agencies, and Filipinos working overseas.

This article is based on the company’s official press release and disclosures filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange’s Electronic Disclosure Generation Technology (PSE EDGE) system. For the complete and official version of the announcement, readers may visit the PSE EDGE website and search for the company’s filing directly.