South Korea¡¯s Samsung Card Co. posted 177.9 billion won ($129.43 million) in net profit for the first quarter, up 22.3 percent from the same period a year ago, thanks to the company¡¯s focus on boosting profitability. According to Samsung Card on Friday, its sales totaled 1.1 trillion won for the first quarter, up 3.4 percent from the same period a year ago. Its operating profit stood at 241.2 billion won, up 25.7 percent during the same period. ¡°Finance costs increased due to rising borrowing rates, but bad debt expenses decreased due to profitability-focused efficient management and systematic asset quality management,¡± the company said. Samsung Card¡¯s total transaction volume stood at 39.94 trillion won for the first quarter, down 3 percent from the same period a year ago. The card business transaction volume, in particular, fell by 3 percent to 39.85 trillion won. The decrease is attributable to adjustments in asset portfolios in line with an efficiency-focused management strategy, resulting in a decline in transaction amounts in relatively low-profit sectors. The company¡¯s delinquency rate for over 30 days stood at 1.1 percent. ¡°High-interest rate conditions are expected to persist for a considerable period of time after the second quarter, and the environment surrounding the card industry is projected to remain challenging,¡± the company said. ¡°We will continue to focus on asset quality management and pursue efforts to expand profitability through efficiency-based management.¡± ¢º ¡°¾î¸Ó ¿ì¸® ³²Æí ¿ù±Þº¸´Ù ¼¼³×¡±¡¦Å¸¿öÆÓ¸®½º ÀÔÁÖ µµ¿ì¹Ì ±¸ÀÎ °ø°í ÈÁ¦ ¢º ³ÃÀå°í¡¤¼Ü ¿¾ú´Ù ²ûÂ28¼¼åü ÀÜȤ»ìÇØÇÑ Àü ³²Æí°¡Á·, ÇϳªµÑ ¹àÇôÁö´Â Áø½Ç ¢º ¡°1¾ï ¹ø´Ù±æ·¡ ½ÃÀÛÇߴµ¥¡± 1³âµµ ¾ÈµÅ Àý¹Ý ±×¸¸µ×´Ù¡¦½ÇÁ¦ ¿¬ºÀ Æò±Õ 4õ¸¸¿ø ¹Ì¸¸ ¢º ¡°½½¸®ÆÛ ÄíÆμ± 1¸¸¿ø, ¾Ë¸® 2õ¿øÀÎ ÀÌÀ¯ ÀÌ°Í ¶§¹®À̾ú³ª¡±¡¦ñéÀº ¡®¹«Ç³¡¯ ùÛÀº ¡®ÅÂdz¡¯ ¢º ´ëÀå³»½Ã°æ ¹ÞÀº Á÷ÈÄ »ç¸Á ¡®Ãæ°Ý¡¯¡¦60´ëÑû ȸº¹½Ç¼ ¼ûÁ®, °æÂû Á¶»ç Âø¼ö |