Bank of East Asia profits rise as wealth business offsets bad property loans in Hong Kong
Bank of East Asia (BEA), Hong Kong’s largest family-owned lender, beat expectations with 14 per cent growth in its first-half net profit, as a robust wealth-management business offset an increase in bad debt from commercial real estate. The bank recorded HK$2.41 billion (US$309 million) in net profit for the six months to June, or 86…