Category: Banking

  • MIL-OSI: OP Corporate Bank plc to redeem its EUR 1,000,000,000 Resettable Callable Tier 2 Instruments due June 2030

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OP Corporate Bank plc
    Inside Information
    24 April 2025 at 14:00 EEST

    OP Corporate Bank plc to redeem its EUR 1,000,000,000 Resettable Callable Tier 2 Instruments due June 2030

    OP Corporate Bank plc will redeem its EUR 1,000,000,000 Resettable Callable Tier 2 Instruments due June 2030 originally issued in June 2020 (ISIN: XS2185867673).

    OP Corporate Bank plc will redeem all of the outstanding instruments on 9 June 2025 at par plus accrued interest.

    OP Corporate Bank plc requests the Irish Stock Exchange plc trading as Euronext Dublin to cancel the listing of the instruments on the Official List of Euronext Dublin and the admission to trading on the Regulated Market of Euronext Dublin.

    This announcement contains information that qualifies, or may qualify, as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (“MAR”) including as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European Union (withdrawal) Act 2018 (“UK MAR”), encompassing information relating to the instruments.

    OP Corporate Bank plc
    Mikko Timonen
    Chief Financial Officer, OP Financial Group

    Further information:
    OP Financial Group’s Investor Relations, IR@op.fi

    Media inquiries:
    OP Financial Group’s  Communications, tel. +358 10 252 8719, viestinta@op.fi

    DISTRIBUTION
    Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd
    Euronext Dublin (Irish Stock Exchange)
    LSE London Stock Exchange
    Major media
    op.fi

    OP Corporate Bank plc is part of OP Financial Group. OP Corporate Bank and OP Mortgage Bank are responsible for OP’s funding in money and capital markets. As laid down in the applicable law, OP Corporate Bank, OP Mortgage Bank and their parent company OP Cooperative and other OP Financial Group member credit institutions are ultimately jointly and severally liable for each other’s debts and commitments. OP Corporate Bank acts as OP Financial Group’s central bank.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Šiaulių Bankas Invitation to Q1 2025 Financial Results webinar

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Šiaulių Bankas (SAB1L) invites shareholders, investors, analysts and other stakeholders to join its Investors Webinar for Q1 2025 Financial Results and highlights scheduled on 29 April, 2025 at 8:30 am (EEST). The presentation will be held online in English.

    The webinar will be hosted by Vytautas Sinius, CEO, Tomas Varenbergas, Head of Investment Management Division, Chief Economist Indrė Genytė–Pikčienė and Tautvydas Mėdžius, Strategy Partner, who will discuss the bank’s financial results for the first quarter of 2025, recent developments, and will take questions from participants.

    Please send your questions in advance to investors@sb.lt   

    The Q1 2025 results will be announced in advance on 28 April after trading hours.

    How to join the webinar?

    To join the webinar, please register via following link https://sb.zoomtv.lt. After successful registration You will be provided with the webinar link. The webinar will be recorded and available online for everyone at Šiaulių Bankas website www.sb.lt/en/investors 

    Additional information:
    Tomas Varenbergas
    Head of Investment Management Division
    tomas.varenbergas@sb.lt, +370 610 44447  

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Valley National Bancorp Announces First Quarter 2025 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ:VLY), the holding company for Valley National Bank, today reported net income for the first quarter 2025 of $106.1 million, or $0.18 per diluted common share, as compared to the fourth quarter 2024 net income of $115.7 million, or $0.20 per diluted common share, and net income of $96.3 million, or $0.18 per diluted common share, for the first quarter 2024. Excluding all non-core income and charges, our adjusted net income (a non-GAAP measure) was $106.1 million, or $0.18 per diluted common share, for the first quarter 2025, $75.7 million, or $0.13 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter 2024, and $99.4 million, or $0.19 per diluted common share, for the first quarter 2024. See further details below, including a reconciliation of our non-GAAP adjusted net income, in the “Consolidated Financial Highlights” tables.

    Ira Robbins, CEO, commented, “The first quarter was highlighted by the continued improvement in our funding base. Core deposit growth has enabled us to further reduce our reliance on indirect deposits which benefited our revenue and net interest margin. We anticipate that additional core deposit growth will create a sustainable tailwind despite the volatility in the current operating environment.”

    Mr. Robbins continued, “I am generally pleased with the quarter’s results from a credit perspective. The provision for loan losses for the first quarter was at the lowest point in the last four quarters, and we anticipate further improvement throughout the remainder of the year. Non-accrual loans and early stage delinquencies also improved sequentially, and we believe our allowance coverage to total loans is at a comfortable level as of March 31, 2025. We remain on track to achieve our profitability goals for the year as we continue to benefit from the net interest income and credit cost tailwinds that we have discussed previously.”

    Key financial highlights for the first quarter 2025:

    • Net Interest Income and Margin: Our net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis increased by 4 basis points to 2.96 percent in the first quarter 2025 as compared to 2.92 percent for the fourth quarter 2024. Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis of $421.4 million for the first quarter 2025 decreased $2.9 million compared to the fourth quarter 2024 and increased $26.5 million as compared to the first quarter 2024. The moderate decrease in net interest income from the fourth quarter 2024 was due to the impact of two less days during the first quarter 2025. See additional details in the “Net Interest Income and Margin” section below.
    • Loan Portfolio: Total loans decreased $142.6 million, or 1.2 percent on an annualized basis, to $48.7 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024 mostly due to normal repayment activity and selective originations within the commercial real estate (CRE) portfolio. As a result, our CRE loan concentration ratio (defined as total commercial real estate loans held for investment and held for sale, excluding owner occupied loans, as a percentage of total risk-based capital) declined to approximately 353 percent at March 31, 2025 from 362 percent at December 31, 2024. Partially offsetting the lower CRE loan balances, commercial and industrial (C&I) and automobile loans grew by $218.8 million and $140.2 million, respectively, at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024. Auto loan originations resulting from high quality consumer demand remained strong during the first quarter 2025. See the “Loans” section below for more details.
    • Allowance and Provision for Credit Losses for Loans: The allowance for credit losses for loans totaled $594.1 million and $573.3 million at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, representing 1.22 percent and 1.17 percent of total loans at each respective date. During the first quarter 2025, we recorded a provision for credit losses for loans of $62.7 million as compared to $107.0 million and $45.3 million for the fourth quarter 2024 and first quarter 2024, respectively. See the “Credit Quality” section below for more details.
    • Credit Quality: Total accruing past due loans (i.e., loans past due 30 days or more and still accruing interest) decreased $47.5 million to $51.7 million, or 0.11 percent of total loans, at March 31, 2025 as compared to $99.2 million, or 0.20 percent of total loans, at December 31, 2024. Non-accrual loans totaled $346.5 million, or 0.71 percent of total loans, at March 31, 2025 as compared to $359.5 million, or 0.74 percent of total loans, at December 31, 2024. Net loan charge-offs totaled $41.9 million for the first quarter 2025 as compared to $98.3 million and $23.6 million for the fourth quarter 2024 and first quarter 2024, respectively. See the “Credit Quality” section below for more details.
    • Deposits: Non-interest bearing deposits increased $199.9 million to $11.6 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024 largely due to higher inflows of commercial customer deposits during the first quarter 2025. Savings, NOW, and money market deposits increased $108.6 million to $26.4 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024 mostly due to new deposits from our online savings deposit product offerings. Total actual deposit balances decreased $110.0 million to $50.0 billion at March 31, 2025 as compared to $50.1 billion at December 31, 2024 as the increases in our direct customer deposits were offset by a $726.5 million decrease in indirect customer deposits (consisting largely of brokered CDs) during the first quarter 2025. See the “Deposits” section below for more details.
    • Non-Interest Income: Non-interest income increased $7.1 million to $58.3 million for the first quarter 2025 as compared to the fourth quarter 2024. The increase reflected net gains on sales of loans of $2.2 million for the first quarter 2025 as compared to net losses of $4.7 million for the fourth quarter 2024, which included $7.9 million of losses related to the sale of performing CRE loans.
    • Non-Interest Expense: Non-interest expense decreased $2.0 million to $276.6 million for the first quarter 2025 as compared to the fourth quarter 2024 largely due to decreases of $6.1 million in professional and legal expenses; and $5.6 million in technology, furniture and equipment expense, partially offset by higher amortization of tax credit investments and the normal seasonal increases in salary and employee benefits expense related to payroll taxes during the first quarter 2025. The decreases in professional and technology-related expenses were mostly due to elevated fourth quarter 2024 expenses resulting from transformation and enhancement efforts in our bank operations.
    • Income Tax Expense: Income tax expense was $33.1 million for the first quarter 2025 as compared to an income tax benefit of $26.7 million for the fourth quarter 2024, which reflected a $46.4 million total reduction in uncertain tax liability positions and related accrued interest due to statute of limitation expirations. Our effective tax rate was 23.8 percent for the first quarter 2025 compared to a negative 29.9 percent for the fourth quarter 2024.
    • Efficiency Ratio: Our efficiency ratio was 55.87 percent for the first quarter 2025 as compared to 57.21 percent and 59.10 percent for the fourth quarter 2024 and first quarter 2024, respectively. See the “Consolidated Financial Highlights” tables below for additional information regarding our non-GAAP measures.
    • Performance Ratios: Annualized return on average assets (ROA), shareholders’ equity (ROE) and tangible ROE were 0.69 percent, 5.69 percent and 7.76 percent for the first quarter 2025, respectively. See the “Consolidated Financial Highlights” tables below for additional information regarding our non-GAAP measures.

    Net Interest Income and Margin

    Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis of $421.4 million for the first quarter 2025 decreased $2.9 million compared to the fourth quarter 2024 and increased $26.5 million as compared to the first quarter 2024. Interest income on a tax equivalent basis decreased $50.1 million to $786.0 million for the first quarter 2025 as compared to the fourth quarter 2024. The decrease was mostly driven by the impact of (i) two less days in the first quarter 2025, (ii) the bulk sale of certain performing CRE loans during the fourth quarter 2024, and (iii) downward repricing on adjustable rate loans. Total interest expense decreased $47.2 million to $364.6 million for the first quarter 2025 as compared to the fourth quarter 2024 mainly due to (i) the aforementioned reduction in day count, (ii) a $2.0 billion decrease in average time deposit balances (primarily related to the maturity and repayment of higher cost indirect customer CDs), and (iii) lower interest rates on many interest bearing deposit products in the first quarter 2025. See the “Deposits” and “Other Borrowings” sections below for more details.

    Net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis of 2.96 percent for the first quarter 2025 increased by 4 basis points from 2.92 percent for the fourth quarter 2024 and increased 17 basis points from 2.79 percent for the first quarter 2024. The increase as compared to the fourth quarter 2024 was mostly due to the 29 basis point decline in our cost of total average deposits, largely offset by the lower yield on average interest earning assets. The yield on average interest earning assets decreased by 22 basis points to 5.53 percent on a linked quarter basis largely due to downward repricing of our adjustable rate loans and two less days in the first quarter 2025, partially offset by higher yielding investment purchases. The overall cost of average interest bearing liabilities decreased 31 basis points to 3.54 percent for the first quarter 2025 as compared to the fourth quarter 2024 largely due to a decrease in higher cost time deposits and lower interest rates on most deposit products. Our cost of total average deposits was 2.65 percent for the first quarter 2025 as compared to 2.94 percent and 3.16 percent for the fourth quarter 2024 and the first quarter 2024, respectively.

    Loans, Deposits and Other Borrowings

    Loans. Total loans decreased $142.6 million, or 1.2 percent on an annualized basis, to $48.7 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024. Total CRE (including construction) loans decreased $530.4 million to $29.1 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024. The decrease was largely driven by repayment activity and continued selective origination activity within the CRE portfolio. Additionally, construction loans decreased $87.8 million to $3.0 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024 mainly due to the migration of completed projects to permanent financing within the multifamily loan category during the first quarter 2025 and a non-performing loan totaling $10.2 million, net of $638 thousand of charge-offs, transferred to loans held for sale at March 31, 2025, partially offset by new advances. As a result of the completed construction projects, multifamily loans increased $121.1 million to $8.4 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024. C&I loans grew by $218.8 million, or 8.8 percent on an annualized basis, to $10.2 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024 largely due to our continued strategic focus on growth within this category. Automobile loans increased by $140.2 million, or 29.5 percent on an annualized basis, to $2.0 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024 mainly due to high quality consumer demand generated by our indirect auto dealer network and low prepayment activity within the portfolio.

    Deposits. Actual ending balances for deposits decreased $110.0 million to $50.0 billion at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024 mainly due to a $418.5 million decrease in time deposits, partially offset by increases of $199.9 million and $108.6 million in non-interest bearing deposits and savings, NOW and money market deposits, respectively. The decrease in time deposit balances was mainly driven by a decline of approximately $661 million in indirect (i.e., brokered) customer CDs, partially offset by deposit inflows from new retail CD offerings during the first quarter 2025. The increase in non-interest bearing was mostly due to higher commercial customer deposit inflows late in the first quarter 2025. Savings, NOW and money market deposit balances increased at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024 largely due to new deposits from our online savings deposit product offerings, partially offset by lower governmental deposits account balances. Total indirect customer deposits (including both brokered money market and time deposits) totaled $6.3 billion and $7.0 billion in March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. Non-interest bearing deposits; savings, NOW and money market deposits; and time deposits represented approximately 23 percent, 53 percent and 24 percent of total deposits as of March 31, 2025, respectively, as compared to 23 percent, 52 percent and 25 percent of total deposits as of December 31, 2024, respectively.

    Other Borrowings. Short-term borrowings, consisting of securities sold under agreements to repurchase, decreased $13.7 million to $59.0 million at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024. Long-term borrowings totaled $2.9 billion at March 31, 2025 and decreased $269.6 million as compared to December 31, 2024 due to the maturity and repayment of certain FHLB advances.

    Credit Quality

    Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). Total NPAs, consisting of non-accrual loans, other real estate owned (OREO) and other repossessed assets, decreased $17.1 million to $356.2 million at March 31, 2025 as compared to December 31, 2024. Non-accrual loans decreased $13.0 million to $346.5 million at March 31, 2025 as compared to $359.5 million at December 31, 2024 largely driven by partial charge-offs of two non-performing C&I loan relationships during the first quarter 2025, partially offset by a moderate increase in non-performing CRE loans at March 31, 2025. Non-accrual loans represented 0.71 percent of total loans at March 31, 2025 as compared to 0.74 percent of total loans at December 31, 2024. OREO decreased $4.4 million to $7.7 million at March 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024 mostly due to the sale of one CRE property, which resulted in a $2.9 million loss for the first quarter 2025.

    Accruing Past Due Loans. Total accruing past due loans (i.e., loans past due 30 days or more and still accruing interest) decreased $47.5 million to $51.7 million, or 0.11 percent of total loans, at March 31, 2025 as compared to $99.2 million, or 0.20 percent of total loans, at December 31, 2024.

    Loans 30 to 59 days past due decreased $23.7 million to $33.4 million at March 31, 2025 as compared to December 31, 2024 largely due to a previously reported delinquent CRE loan totaling $15.4 million that was current to its contractual payments at March 31, 2025, as well as a general improvement in residential mortgage loan delinquencies in this category. Loans 60 to 89 days past due decreased $25.6 million to $10.5 million at March 31, 2025 as compared to December 31, 2024 mostly due to the renewal of an $18.6 million matured performing CRE loan reported in this delinquency category at December 31, 2024 and two CRE loans totaling $6.9 million that were reclassified to the non-accrual category during the first quarter 2025. Loans 90 days or more past due and still accruing interest increased $1.9 million to $7.8 million at March 31, 2025 as compared to December 31, 2024 mainly due to an increase in residential mortgage loans delinquencies. All loans 90 days or more past due and still accruing interest are well-secured and in the process of collection.

    Allowance for Credit Losses for Loans and Unfunded Commitments. The following table summarizes the allocation of the allowance for credit losses to loan categories and the allocation as a percentage of each loan category at March 31, 2025, December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2024:

      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
          Allocation       Allocation       Allocation
          as a % of       as a % of       as a % of
      Allowance   Loan   Allowance   Loan   Allowance   Loan
      Allocation   Category   Allocation   Category   Allocation   Category
      ($ in thousands)
    Loan Category:                      
    Commercial and industrial loans $ 184,700   1.82 %   $ 173,002   1.74 %   $ 138,593   1.52 %
    Commercial real estate loans:                      
    Commercial real estate   266,938   1.02       251,351   0.95       209,355   0.74  
    Construction   54,724   1.81       52,797   1.70       56,492   1.59  
    Total commercial real estate loans   321,662   1.10       304,148   1.03       265,847   0.84  
    Residential mortgage loans   48,906   0.87       58,895   1.05       44,377   0.79  
    Consumer loans:                      
    Home equity   3,401   0.56       3,379   0.56       2,809   0.50  
    Auto and other consumer   19,531   0.62       19,426   0.65       17,622   0.60  
    Total consumer loans   22,932   0.61       22,805   0.64       20,431   0.58  
    Allowance for loan losses   578,200   1.19       558,850   1.15       469,248   0.94  
    Allowance for unfunded credit commitments   15,854         14,478         18,021    
    Total allowance for credit losses for loans $ 594,054       $ 573,328       $ 487,269    
    Allowance for credit losses for loans as a % total of loans     1.22 %       1.17 %       0.98 %
                                 

    Our loan portfolio, totaling $48.7 billion at March 31, 2025, had net loan charge-offs totaling $41.9 million for the first quarter 2025 as compared to $98.3 million and $23.6 million for the fourth quarter 2024 and the first quarter 2024, respectively. Gross loan charge-offs totaled $44.0 million for the first quarter 2025 and included $24.1 million of partial and full charge-offs related to two non-performing C&I loan relationships with combined specific reserves of $16.0 million at December 31, 2024.

    The allowance for credit losses for loans, comprised of our allowance for loan losses and unfunded credit commitments, as a percentage of total loans was 1.22 percent at March 31, 2025, 1.17 percent at December 31, 2024, and 0.98 percent at March 31, 2024. For the first quarter 2025, the provision for credit losses for loans totaled $62.7 million as compared to $107.0 million and $45.3 million for the fourth quarter 2024 and first quarter 2024, respectively. The first quarter 2025 provision reflects, among other factors, the impact of loan charge-offs, increased quantitative reserves and continued growth in the C&I loan portfolio, partially offset by a decrease in specific reserves associated with collateral dependent loans at March 31, 2025.

    Capital Adequacy

    Valley’s total risk-based capital, Tier 1 capital, common equity Tier 1 capital, and Tier 1 leverage capital ratios were 13.91 percent, 11.53 percent, 10.80 percent and 9.41 percent, respectively, at March 31, 2025 as compared to 13.87 percent, 11.55 percent, 10.82 percent and 9.16 percent, respectively, at December 31, 2024.

    Investor Conference Call

    Valley’s CEO, Ira Robbins, will host a conference call with investors and the financial community at 11:00 AM (ET) today to discuss Valley’s first quarter 2025 earnings. Interested parties should preregister using this link: https://register.vevent.com/register to receive the dial-in number and a personal PIN, which are required to access the conference call. The teleconference will also be webcast live: https://edge.media-server.com and archived on Valley’s website through Monday, May 26, 2025. Investor presentation materials will be made available prior to the conference call at valley.com.

    About Valley

    As the principal subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp, Valley National Bank is a regional bank with approximately $62 billion in assets. Valley is committed to giving people and businesses the power to succeed. Valley operates many convenient branch locations and commercial banking offices across New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama, California, and Illinois, and is committed to providing the most convenient service, the latest innovations and an experienced and knowledgeable team dedicated to meeting customer needs. Helping communities grow and prosper is the heart of Valley’s corporate citizenship philosophy. To learn more about Valley, go to valley.com or call our Customer Care Center at 800-522-4100.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    The foregoing contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are not historical facts and include expressions about management’s confidence and strategies and management’s expectations about our business, new and existing programs and products, acquisitions, relationships, opportunities, taxation, technology, market conditions and economic expectations. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as “intend,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “view,” “opportunity,” “allow,” “continues,” “reflects,” “would,” “could,” “typically,” “usually,” “anticipate,” “may,” “estimate,” “outlook,” “project” or similar statements or variations of such terms. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

    • the impact of market interest rates and monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. federal government and its agencies in connection with prolonged inflationary pressures, which could have a material adverse effect on our clients, our business, our employees, and our ability to provide services to our customers;
    • the impact of unfavorable macroeconomic conditions or downturns, including instability or volatility in financial markets resulting from the impact of tariffs, any retaliatory actions, related market uncertainty, or other factors; debt default or rating downgrade; unanticipated loan delinquencies; loss of collateral; decreased service revenues; increased business disruptions or failures; reductions in employment; and other potential negative effects on our business, employees or clients caused by factors outside of our control, such as legislation and policy changes under the new U.S. presidential administration, geopolitical instabilities or events, natural and other disasters, including severe weather events, health emergencies, acts of terrorism, or other external events;
    • the impact of any potential instability within the U.S. financial sector or future bank failures, including the possibility of a run on deposits by a coordinated deposit base, and the impact of the actual or perceived soundness, or concerns about the creditworthiness, of other financial institutions, including any resulting disruption within the financial markets, increased expenses, including Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance assessments, or adverse impact on our stock price, deposits or our ability to borrow or raise capital;
    • the impact of negative public opinion regarding Valley or banks in general that damages our reputation and adversely impacts business and revenues;
    • changes in the statutes, regulations, policies, or enforcement priorities of the federal bank regulatory agencies;
    • the loss of or decrease in lower-cost funding sources within our deposit base;
    • damage verdicts or settlements or restrictions related to existing or potential class action litigation or individual litigation arising from claims of violations of laws or regulations, contractual claims, breach of fiduciary responsibility, negligence, fraud, environmental laws, patent, trademark or other intellectual property infringement, misappropriation or other violation, employment related claims, and other matters;
    • a prolonged downturn and contraction in the economy, as well as an unexpected decline in commercial real estate values collateralizing a significant portion of our loan portfolio;
    • higher or lower than expected income tax expense or tax rates, including increases or decreases resulting from changes in uncertain tax position liabilities, tax laws, regulations, and case law;
    • the inability to grow customer deposits to keep pace with the level of loan growth;
    • a material change in our allowance for credit losses under CECL due to forecasted economic conditions and/or unexpected credit deterioration in our loan and investment portfolios;
    • the need to supplement debt or equity capital to maintain or exceed internal capital thresholds;
    • changes in our business, strategy, market conditions or other factors that may negatively impact the estimated fair value of our goodwill and other intangible assets and result in future impairment charges;
    • greater than expected technology-related costs due to, among other factors, prolonged or failed implementations, additional project staffing and obsolescence caused by continuous and rapid market innovations;
    • increased competitive challenges, including our ability to stay current with rapid technological changes in the financial services industry;
    • cyberattacks, ransomware attacks, computer viruses, malware or other cybersecurity incidents that may breach the security of our websites or other systems or networks to obtain unauthorized access to personal, confidential, proprietary or sensitive information, destroy data, disable or degrade service, or sabotage our systems or networks, and the increasing sophistication of such attacks;
    • results of examinations by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve Bank, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and other regulatory authorities, including the possibility that any such regulatory authority may, among other things, require us to increase our allowance for credit losses, write-down assets, reimburse customers, change the way we do business, or limit or eliminate certain other banking activities;
    • application of the OCC heightened regulatory standards for certain large insured national banks, and the expenses we will incur to develop policies, programs, and systems that comply with the enhanced standards applicable to us;
    • our inability or determination not to pay dividends at current levels, or at all, because of inadequate earnings, regulatory restrictions or limitations, changes in our capital requirements, or a decision to increase capital by retaining more earnings;
    • unanticipated loan delinquencies, loss of collateral, decreased service revenues, and other potential negative effects on our business caused by severe weather, pandemics or other public health crises, acts of terrorism or other external events;
    • our ability to successfully execute our business plan and strategic initiatives; and
    • unexpected significant declines in the loan portfolio due to the lack of economic expansion, increased competition, large prepayments, risk mitigation strategies, changes in regulatory lending guidance or other factors.

    A detailed discussion of factors that could affect our results is included in our SEC filings, including Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024.

    We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in our expectations, except as required by law. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

    -Tables to Follow-

    VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
    CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
     
    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
     
      Three Months Ended
      March 31,   December 31,   March 31,
    ($ in thousands, except for share data and stock price) 2025   2024   2024
    FINANCIAL DATA:          
    Net interest income – FTE (1) $ 421,378     $ 424,277     $ 394,847  
    Net interest income $ 420,105     $ 422,977     $ 393,548  
    Non-interest income   58,294       51,202       61,415  
    Total revenue   478,399       474,179       454,963  
    Non-interest expense   276,618       278,582       280,310  
    Pre-provision net revenue   201,781       195,597       174,653  
    Provision for credit losses   62,661       106,536       45,200  
    Income tax expense (benefit)   33,062       (26,650 )     33,173  
    Net income   106,058       115,711       96,280  
    Dividends on preferred stock   6,955       7,025       4,119  
    Net income available to common shareholders $ 99,103     $ 108,686     $ 92,161  
    Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:          
    Basic   559,613,272       536,159,463       508,340,719  
    Diluted   563,305,525       540,087,600       510,633,945  
    Per common share data:          
    Basic earnings $ 0.18     $ 0.20     $ 0.18  
    Diluted earnings   0.18       0.20       0.18  
    Cash dividends declared   0.11       0.11       0.11  
    Closing stock price – high   10.42       10.78       10.80  
    Closing stock price – low   8.56       8.70       7.43  
    FINANCIAL RATIOS:          
    Net interest margin   2.95 %     2.91 %     2.78 %
    Net interest margin – FTE (1)   2.96       2.92       2.79  
    Annualized return on average assets   0.69       0.74       0.63  
    Annualized return on avg. shareholders’ equity   5.69       6.38       5.73  
    NON-GAAP FINANCIAL DATA AND RATIOS: (2)          
    Basic earnings per share, as adjusted $ 0.18     $ 0.13     $ 0.19  
    Diluted earnings per share, as adjusted   0.18       0.13       0.19  
    Annualized return on average assets, as adjusted   0.69 %     0.48 %     0.65 %
    Annualized return on average shareholders’ equity, as adjusted   5.69       4.17       5.91  
    Annualized return on avg. tangible shareholders’ equity   7.76       8.81       8.19  
    Annualized return on average tangible shareholders’ equity, as adjusted   7.76       5.76       8.46  
    Efficiency ratio   55.87       57.21       59.10  
               
    AVERAGE BALANCE SHEET ITEMS:          
    Assets $ 61,502,768     $ 62,865,338     $ 61,256,868  
    Interest earning assets   56,891,691       58,214,783       56,618,797  
    Loans   48,654,921       49,730,130       50,246,591  
    Interest bearing liabilities   41,230,709       42,765,949       41,556,588  
    Deposits   49,139,303       50,726,080       48,575,974  
    Shareholders’ equity   7,458,177       7,255,159       6,725,695  
                           
      As Of
    BALANCE SHEET ITEMS: March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    (In thousands) 2025   2024   2024   2024   2024
    Assets $ 61,865,655     $ 62,491,691     $ 62,092,332     $ 62,058,974     $ 61,000,188  
    Total loans   48,657,128       48,799,711       49,355,319       50,311,702       49,922,042  
    Deposits   49,965,844       50,075,857       50,395,966       50,112,177       49,077,946  
    Shareholders’ equity   7,499,897       7,435,127       6,972,380       6,737,737       6,727,139  
                       
    LOANS:                  
    (In thousands)                  
    Commercial and industrial $ 10,150,205     $ 9,931,400     $ 9,799,287     $ 9,479,147     $ 9,104,193  
    Commercial real estate:                  
    Non-owner occupied   11,945,222       12,344,355       12,647,649       13,710,015       14,962,851  
    Multifamily   8,420,385       8,299,250       8,612,936       8,976,264       8,818,263  
    Owner occupied   5,722,014       5,886,620       5,654,147       5,536,844       4,367,839  
    Construction   3,026,935       3,114,733       3,487,464       3,545,723       3,556,511  
    Total commercial real estate   29,114,556       29,644,958       30,402,196       31,768,846       31,705,464  
    Residential mortgage   5,636,407       5,632,516       5,684,079       5,627,113       5,618,355  
    Consumer:                  
    Home equity   602,161       604,433       581,181       566,467       564,083  
    Automobile   2,041,227       1,901,065       1,823,738       1,762,852       1,700,508  
    Other consumer   1,112,572       1,085,339       1,064,838       1,107,277       1,229,439  
    Total consumer loans   3,755,960       3,590,837       3,469,757       3,436,596       3,494,030  
    Total loans $ 48,657,128     $ 48,799,711     $ 49,355,319     $ 50,311,702     $ 49,922,042  
                       
    CAPITAL RATIOS:                  
    Book value per common share $ 12.76     $ 12.67     $ 13.00     $ 12.82     $ 12.81  
    Tangible book value per common share (2)   9.21       9.10       9.06       8.87       8.84  
    Tangible common equity to tangible assets (2)   8.61 %     8.40 %     7.68 %     7.52 %     7.62 %
    Tier 1 leverage capital   9.41       9.16       8.40       8.19       8.20  
    Common equity tier 1 capital   10.80       10.82       9.57       9.55       9.34  
    Tier 1 risk-based capital   11.53       11.55       10.29       9.98       9.78  
    Total risk-based capital   13.91       13.87       12.56       12.17       11.88  
                                           
      Three Months Ended
    ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES: March 31,   December 31,   March 31,
    ($ in thousands) 2025   2024   2024
    Allowance for credit losses for loans          
    Beginning balance – Allowance for credit losses for loans $ 573,328     $ 564,671     $ 465,550  
    Loans charged-off:          
    Commercial and industrial   (28,456 )     (31,784 )     (14,293 )
    Commercial real estate   (12,260 )     (69,218 )     (1,204 )
    Construction   (1,163 )           (7,594 )
    Residential mortgage         (29 )      
    Total consumer   (2,140 )     (2,621 )     (1,809 )
    Total loans charged-off   (44,019 )     (103,652 )     (24,900 )
    Charged-off loans recovered:          
    Commercial and industrial   810       1,452       682  
    Commercial real estate   249       3,138       241  
    Residential mortgage   168       81       25  
    Total consumer   843       673       397  
    Total loans recovered   2,070       5,344       1,345  
    Total net charge-offs   (41,949 )     (98,308 )     (23,555 )
    Provision for credit losses for loans   62,675       106,965       45,274  
    Ending balance $ 594,054     $ 573,328     $ 487,269  
    Components of allowance for credit losses for loans:          
    Allowance for loan losses $ 578,200     $ 558,850     $ 469,248  
    Allowance for unfunded credit commitments   15,854       14,478       18,021  
    Allowance for credit losses for loans $ 594,054     $ 573,328     $ 487,269  
    Components of provision for credit losses for loans:          
    Provision for credit losses for loans $ 61,299     $ 108,831     $ 46,723  
    Provision (credit) for unfunded credit commitments   1,376       (1,866 )     (1,449 )
    Total provision for credit losses for loans $ 62,675     $ 106,965     $ 45,274  
    Annualized ratio of total net charge-offs to total average loans   0.34 %     0.79 %     0.19 %
    Allowance for credit losses for loans as a % of total loans   1.22 %     1.17 %     0.98 %
                           
      As Of
    ASSET QUALITY: March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    ($ in thousands) 2025   2024   2024   2024   2024
    Accruing past due loans:                  
    30 to 59 days past due:                  
    Commercial and industrial $ 3,609     $ 2,389     $ 4,537     $ 5,086     $ 6,202  
    Commercial real estate   170       20,902       76,370       1,879       5,791  
    Residential mortgage   16,747       21,295       19,549       17,389       20,819  
    Total consumer   12,887       12,552       14,672       21,639       14,032  
    Total 30 to 59 days past due   33,413       57,138       115,128       45,993       46,844  
    60 to 89 days past due:                  
    Commercial and industrial   420       1,007       1,238       1,621       2,665  
    Commercial real estate         24,903       43,926             3,720  
    Residential mortgage   7,700       5,773       6,892       6,632       5,970  
    Total consumer   2,408       4,484       2,732       3,671       1,834  
    Total 60 to 89 days past due   10,528       36,167       54,788       11,924       14,189  
    90 or more days past due:                  
    Commercial and industrial         1,307       1,786       2,739       5,750  
    Commercial real estate                     4,242        
    Construction                     3,990       3,990  
    Residential mortgage   6,892       3,533       1,931       2,609       2,884  
    Total consumer   864       1,049       1,063       898       731  
    Total 90 or more days past due   7,756       5,889       4,780       14,478       13,355  
    Total accruing past due loans $ 51,697     $ 99,194     $ 174,696     $ 72,395     $ 74,388  
    Non-accrual loans:                  
    Commercial and industrial $ 110,146     $ 136,675     $ 120,575     $ 102,942     $ 102,399  
    Commercial real estate   172,011       157,231       113,752       123,011       100,052  
    Construction   24,275       24,591       24,657       45,380       51,842  
    Residential mortgage   35,393       36,786       33,075       28,322       28,561  
    Total consumer   4,626       4,215       4,260       3,624       4,438  
    Total non-accrual loans   346,451       359,498       296,319       303,279       287,292  
    Other real estate owned (OREO)   7,714       12,150       7,172       8,059       88  
    Other repossessed assets   2,054       1,681       1,611       1,607       1,393  
    Total non-performing assets $ 356,219     $ 373,329     $ 305,102     $ 312,945     $ 288,773  
    Total non-accrual loans as a % of loans   0.71 %     0.74 %     0.60 %     0.60 %     0.58 %
    Total accruing past due and non-accrual loans as a % of loans   0.82       0.94 %     0.95 %     0.75 %     0.72 %
    Allowance for losses on loans as a % of non-accrual loans   166.89       155.45 %     185.05 %     171.23 %     163.33 %
                                           

    NOTES TO SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

    (1)   Net interest income and net interest margin are presented on a tax equivalent basis using a 21 percent federal tax rate. Valley believes that this presentation provides comparability of net interest income and net interest margin arising from both taxable and tax-exempt sources and is consistent with industry practice and SEC rules.
    (2)   Non-GAAP Reconciliations. This press release contains certain supplemental financial information, described in the Notes below, which has been determined by methods other than U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) that management uses in its analysis of Valley’s performance. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures provide useful supplemental information to both management and investors in understanding Valley’s underlying operational performance, business and performance trends, and may facilitate comparisons of our current and prior performance with the performance of others in the financial services industry. Management utilizes these measures for internal planning, forecasting and analysis purposes. Management believes that Valley’s presentation and discussion of this supplemental information, together with the accompanying reconciliations to the GAAP financial measures, also allows investors to view performance in a manner similar to management. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for or superior to financial measures calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures may also be calculated differently from similar measures disclosed by other companies.
         
    Non-GAAP Reconciliations to GAAP Financial Measures
     
      Three Months Ended
      March 31,   December 31,   March 31,
    ($ in thousands, except for share data) 2025
      2024
      2024
    Adjusted net income available to common shareholders (non-GAAP):          
    Net income, as reported (GAAP) $ 106,058     $ 115,711     $ 96,280  
    Add: FDIC special assessment (a)               7,394  
    Add: Losses on available for sale and held to maturity debt securities, net (b)   11       3       7  
    Add: Restructuring charge(c)         1,085       620  
    Add: Net losses on the sale of commercial real estate loans (d)         7,866        
    Less: Gain on sale of commercial premium finance lending division (e)               (3,629 )
    Less: Income tax benefit (f)         (46,431 )      
    Total non-GAAP adjustments to net income   11       (37,477 )     4,392  
    Income tax adjustments related to non-GAAP adjustments (g)   (3 )     (2,520 )     (1,224 )
    Net income, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 106,066     $ 75,714     $ 99,448  
    Dividends on preferred stock   6,955       7,025       4,119  
    Net income available to common shareholders, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 99,111     $ 68,689     $ 95,329  
               
    (a) Included in the FDIC insurance assessment.
    (b) Included in gains on securities transactions, net.
    (c) Represents severance expense related to workforce reductions within salary and employee benefits expense.
    (d) Represents actual and mark to market losses on commercial real estate loan sales included in gains (losses) on sales of loans, net.
    (e) Included in gains (losses) on sales of assets, net within non-interest income.
    (f)  Represents the income tax benefit from the reduction in uncertain tax liability positions and accrued interest due to statute of limitation expirations included in income tax expense (benefit).
    (g) Calculated using the appropriate blended statutory tax rate for the applicable period.
     
    Adjusted per common share data (non-GAAP):          
    Net income available to common shareholders, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 99,111     $ 68,689     $ 95,329  
    Average number of shares outstanding   559,613,272       536,159,463       508,340,719  
    Basic earnings, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 0.18     $ 0.13     $ 0.19  
    Average number of diluted shares outstanding   563,305,525       540,087,600       510,633,945  
    Diluted earnings, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 0.18     $ 0.13     $ 0.19  
    Adjusted annualized return on average tangible shareholders’ equity (non-GAAP):          
    Net income, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 106,066     $ 75,714     $ 99,448  
    Average shareholders’ equity $ 7,458,177     $ 7,255,159     $ 6,725,695  
    Less: Average goodwill and other intangible assets   1,994,061       2,000,574       2,024,999  
    Average tangible shareholders’ equity $ 5,464,116     $ 5,254,585     $ 4,700,696  
    Annualized return on average tangible shareholders’ equity, as adjusted (non-GAAP)   7.76 %     5.76 %     8.46 %
    Adjusted annualized return on average assets (non-GAAP):          
    Net income, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 106,066     $ 75,714     $ 99,448  
    Average assets $ 61,502,768     $ 62,865,338     $ 61,256,868  
    Annualized return on average assets, as adjusted (non-GAAP)   0.69 %     0.48 %     0.65 %
                           
    Non-GAAP Reconciliations to GAAP Financial Measures (Continued)
     
      Three Months Ended
      March 31,   December 31,   March 31,
    ($ in thousands, except for share data) 2025   2024   2024
    Adjusted annualized return on average shareholders’ equity (non-GAAP):          
    Net income, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 106,066     $ 75,714     $ 99,448  
    Average shareholders’ equity $ 7,458,177     $ 7,255,159     $ 6,725,695  
    Annualized return on average shareholders’ equity, as adjusted (non-GAAP)   5.69 %     4.17 %     5.91 %
    Annualized return on average tangible shareholders’ equity (non-GAAP):          
    Net income, as reported (GAAP) $ 106,058     $ 115,711     $ 96,280  
    Average shareholders’ equity $ 7,458,177     $ 7,255,159     $ 6,725,695  
    Less: Average goodwill and other intangible assets   1,994,061       2,000,574       2,024,999  
    Average tangible shareholders’ equity $ 5,464,116     $ 5,254,585     $ 4,700,696  
    Annualized return on average tangible shareholders’ equity (non-GAAP)   7.76 %     8.81 %     8.19 %
               
    Efficiency ratio (non-GAAP):          
    Non-interest expense, as reported (GAAP) $ 276,618     $ 278,582     $ 280,310  
    Less: FDIC special assessment (pre-tax)               7,394  
    Less: Restructuring charge (pre-tax)         1,085       620  
    Less: Amortization of tax credit investments (pre-tax)   9,320       1,740       5,562  
    Non-interest expense, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 267,298     $ 275,757     $ 266,734  
    Net interest income, as reported (GAAP)   420,105       422,977       393,548  
    Non-interest income, as reported (GAAP)   58,294       51,202       61,415  
    Add: Losses on available for sale and held to maturity securities transactions, net (pre-tax)   11       3       7  
    Add: Net losses on the sale of commercial real estate loans (pre-tax)         7,866        
    Less: Gain on sale of premium finance division (pre-tax)               (3,629 )
    Non-interest income, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 58,305     $ 59,071     $ 57,793  
    Gross operating income, as adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 478,410     $ 482,048     $ 451,341  
    Efficiency ratio (non-GAAP)   55.87 %     57.21 %     59.10 %
      As of
      March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    ($ in thousands, except for share data) 2025   2024   2024   2024   2024
    Tangible book value per common share (non-GAAP):                  
    Common shares outstanding   560,028,101       558,786,093       509,252,936       509,205,014       508,893,059  
    Shareholders’ equity (GAAP) $ 7,499,897     $ 7,435,127     $ 6,972,380     $ 6,737,737     $ 6,727,139  
    Less: Preferred stock   354,345       354,345       354,345       209,691       209,691  
    Less: Goodwill and other intangible assets   1,990,276       1,997,597       2,004,414       2,012,580       2,020,405  
    Tangible common shareholders’ equity (non-GAAP) $ 5,155,276     $ 5,083,185     $ 4,613,621     $ 4,515,466     $ 4,497,043  
    Tangible book value per common share (non-GAAP) $ 9.21     $ 9.10     $ 9.06     $ 8.87     $ 8.84  
    Tangible common equity to tangible assets (non-GAAP):                  
    Tangible common shareholders’ equity (non-GAAP) $ 5,155,276     $ 5,083,185     $ 4,613,621     $ 4,515,466     $ 4,497,043  
    Total assets (GAAP)   61,865,655       62,491,691       62,092,332       62,058,974       61,000,188  
    Less: Goodwill and other intangible assets   1,990,276       1,997,597       2,004,414       2,012,580       2,020,405  
    Tangible assets (non-GAAP) $ 59,875,379     $ 60,494,094     $ 60,087,918     $ 60,046,394     $ 58,979,783  
    Tangible common equity to tangible assets (non-GAAP)   8.61 %     8.40 %     7.68 %     7.52 %     7.62 %
                                           

    VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
    (in thousands, except for share data)

           
      March 31,   December 31,
      2025   2024
      (Unaudited)    
    Assets      
    Cash and due from banks $ 508,887     $ 411,412  
    Interest bearing deposits with banks   714,810       1,478,713  
    Investment securities:      
    Equity securities   74,425       71,513  
    Available for sale debt securities   3,658,704       3,369,724  
    Held to maturity debt securities (net of allowance for credit losses of $633 at March 31, 2025 and $647 at December 31, 2024)   3,545,328       3,531,573  
    Total investment securities   7,278,457       6,972,810  
    Loans held for sale (includes fair value of $8,427 at March 31, 2025 and $16,931 at December 31, 2024 for loans originated for sale)   27,377       25,681  
    Loans   48,657,128       48,799,711  
    Less: Allowance for loan losses   (578,200 )     (558,850 )
    Net loans   48,078,928       48,240,861  
    Premises and equipment, net   344,123       350,796  
    Lease right of use assets   334,013       328,475  
    Bank owned life insurance   733,135       731,574  
    Accrued interest receivable   238,326       239,941  
    Goodwill   1,868,936       1,868,936  
    Other intangible assets, net   121,340       128,661  
    Other assets   1,617,323       1,713,831  
    Total Assets $ 61,865,655     $ 62,491,691  
    Liabilities      
    Deposits:      
    Non-interest bearing $ 11,628,578     $ 11,428,674  
    Interest bearing:      
    Savings, NOW and money market   26,413,258       26,304,639  
    Time   11,924,008       12,342,544  
    Total deposits   49,965,844       50,075,857  
    Short-term borrowings   59,026       72,718  
    Long-term borrowings   2,904,567       3,174,155  
    Junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts   57,542       57,455  
    Lease liabilities   394,334       388,303  
    Accrued expenses and other liabilities   984,445       1,288,076  
    Total Liabilities   54,365,758       55,056,564  
    Shareholders’ Equity      
    Preferred stock, no par value; 50,000,000 authorized shares:      
    Series A (4,600,000 shares issued at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024)   111,590       111,590  
    Series B (4,000,000 shares issued at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024)   98,101       98,101  
    Series C (6,000,000 shares issued at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024)   144,654       144,654  
    Common stock (no par value, authorized 650,000,000 shares; issued 560,278,101 shares at March 31, 2025 and 558,786,093 shares at December 31, 2024)   196,520       195,998  
    Surplus   5,444,756       5,442,070  
    Retained earnings   1,634,690       1,598,048  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (128,252 )     (155,334 )
    Treasury stock, at cost (250,000 common shares at March 31, 2025)   (2,162 )      
    Total Shareholders’ Equity   7,499,897       7,435,127  
    Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity $ 61,865,655     $ 62,491,691  
                   

    VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited)
    (in thousands, except for share data)

      Three Months Ended
      March 31,   December 31,   March 31,
      2025   2024   2024
    Interest Income          
    Interest and fees on loans $ 703,609     $ 750,667     $ 771,553  
    Interest and dividends on investment securities:          
    Taxable   63,898       55,983       35,797  
    Tax-exempt   4,702       4,803       4,796  
    Dividends   5,664       5,860       6,828  
    Interest on federal funds sold and other short-term investments   6,879       17,513       9,682  
    Total interest income   784,752       834,826       828,656  
    Interest Expense          
    Interest on deposits:          
    Savings, NOW and money market   200,221       214,489       232,506  
    Time   125,069       158,716       151,065  
    Interest on short-term borrowings   2,946       293       20,612  
    Interest on long-term borrowings and junior subordinated debentures   36,411       38,351       30,925  
    Total interest expense   364,647       411,849       435,108  
    Net Interest Income   420,105       422,977       393,548  
    (Credit) provision for credit losses for available for sale and held to maturity securities   (14 )     (429 )     (74 )
    Provision for credit losses for loans   62,675       106,965       45,274  
    Net Interest Income After Provision for Credit Losses   357,444       316,441       348,348  
    Non-Interest Income          
    Wealth management and trust fees   15,031       16,425       17,930  
    Insurance commissions   3,402       3,705       2,251  
    Capital markets   6,940       7,425       5,670  
    Service charges on deposit accounts   12,726       12,989       11,249  
    Gains on securities transactions, net   46       1       49  
    Fees from loan servicing   3,215       3,071       3,188  
    Gains (losses) on sales of loans, net   2,197       (4,698 )     1,618  
    Gains (losses) on sales of assets, net   43       (20 )     3,694  
    Bank owned life insurance   4,777       3,775       3,235  
    Other   9,917       8,529       12,531  
    Total non-interest income   58,294       51,202       61,415  
    Non-Interest Expense          
    Salary and employee benefits expense   142,618       137,117       141,831  
    Net occupancy expense   25,888       26,576       24,323  
    Technology, furniture and equipment expense   29,896       35,482       35,462  
    FDIC insurance assessment   12,867       14,002       18,236  
    Amortization of other intangible assets   8,019       8,373       9,412  
    Professional and legal fees   15,670       21,794       16,465  
    Amortization of tax credit investments   9,320       1,740       5,562  
    Other   32,340       33,498       29,019  
    Total non-interest expense   276,618       278,582       280,310  
    Income Before Income Taxes   139,120       89,061       129,453  
    Income tax expense (benefit)   33,062       (26,650 )     33,173  
    Net Income   106,058       115,711       96,280  
    Dividends on preferred stock   6,955       7,025       4,119  
    Net Income Available to Common Shareholders $ 99,103     $ 108,686     $ 92,161  
                           

    VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
    Quarterly Analysis of Average Assets, Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity and
    Net Interest Income on a Tax Equivalent Basis

      Three Months Ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      Average       Avg.   Average       Avg.   Average       Avg.
    ($ in thousands) Balance   Interest   Rate   Balance   Interest   Rate   Balance   Interest   Rate
    Assets                                  
    Interest earning assets:                              
    Loans (1)(2) $ 48,654,921   $ 703,632     5.78 %   $ 49,730,130   $ 750,690     6.04 %   $ 50,246,591   $ 771,577     6.14 %
    Taxable investments (3)   7,100,958     69,562     3.92       6,504,106     61,843     3.80       5,094,978     42,625     3.35  
    Tax-exempt investments (1)(3)   552,291     5,952     4.31       565,877     6,080     4.30       579,842     6,071     4.19  
    Interest bearing deposits with banks   583,521     6,879     4.72       1,414,670     17,513     4.95       697,386     9,682     5.55  
    Total interest earning assets   56,891,691     786,025     5.53       58,214,783     836,126     5.75       56,618,797     829,955     5.86  
    Other assets   4,611,077             4,650,555             4,638,071        
    Total assets $ 61,502,768           $ 62,865,338           $ 61,256,868        
    Liabilities and shareholders’ equity                                  
    Interest bearing liabilities:                                  
    Savings, NOW and money market deposits $ 26,345,983   $ 200,221     3.04     $ 25,928,201   $ 214,489     3.31 %   $ 24,793,452   $ 232,506     3.75 %
    Time deposits   11,570,758     125,069     4.32       13,530,980     158,716     4.69       12,599,395     151,065     4.80  
    Short-term borrowings   307,637     2,946     3.83       72,504     293     1.62       1,537,879     20,612     5.36  
    Long-term borrowings (4)   3,006,331     36,411     4.84       3,234,264     38,351     4.74       2,625,862     30,925     4.71  
    Total interest bearing liabilities   41,230,709     364,647     3.54       42,765,949     411,849     3.85       41,556,588     435,108     4.19  
    Non-interest bearing deposits   11,222,562             11,266,899             11,183,127        
    Other liabilities   1,591,320             1,577,331             1,791,458        
    Shareholders’ equity   7,458,177             7,255,159             6,725,695        
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 61,502,768           $ 62,865,338           $ 61,256,868        
                                       
    Net interest income/interest rate spread (5)     $ 421,378     1.99 %       $ 424,277     1.90 %       $ 394,847     1.67 %
    Tax equivalent adjustment       (1,273 )             (1,300 )             (1,299 )    
    Net interest income, as reported     $ 420,105             $ 422,977             $ 393,548      
    Net interest margin (6)         2.95             2.91             2.78  
    Tax equivalent effect         0.01             0.01             0.01  
    Net interest margin on a fully tax equivalent basis (6)         2.96 %           2.92 %           2.79 %
                                             

    _________

    (1) Interest income is presented on a tax equivalent basis using a 21 percent federal tax rate.
    (2) Loans are stated net of unearned income and include non-accrual loans.
    (3) The yield for securities that are classified as available for sale is based on the average historical amortized cost.
    (4) Includes junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts which are presented separately on the consolidated statements of financial condition.
    (5) Interest rate spread represents the difference between the average yield on interest earning assets and the average cost of interest bearing liabilities and is presented on a fully tax equivalent basis.
    (6) Net interest income as a percentage of total average interest earning assets.
       

    SHAREHOLDERS RELATIONS
    Requests for copies of reports and/or other inquiries should be directed to Tina Zarkadas, Assistant Vice President, Shareholder Relations Specialist, Valley National Bancorp, 70 Speedwell Avenue, Morristown, New Jersey, 07960, by telephone at (973) 305-3380, by fax at (973) 305-1364 or by e-mail at tzarkadas@valley.com.

    Contact: Travis Lan
      Senior Executive Vice President and
      Chief Financial Officer
      973-686-5007

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Project Meridian FX shows possibility of cross-border linkages for FX transactions between wholesale payment infrastructures

    Source: European Central Bank

    24 April 2024

    • Project Meridian FX proves that wholesale payment infrastructures, such as real-time gross settlement (RTGS) systems, can be interoperable via new technologies for FX transactions
    • The joint project between the Bank for International Settlements, Bank of England, Banque de France, Banca d’Italia, Deutsche Bundesbank and European Central Bank explored synchronising foreign exchange (FX) transactions
    • It demonstrated that FX transactions could be settled across jurisdictions and different types of infrastructures

    The Bank for International Settlements and its central bank partners have successfully demonstrated how wholesale payment infrastructures, such as RTGS systems, can interoperate with each other for FX transactions via new technologies.

    The project involved synchronising the settlement of FX transactions, using distributed ledger technology, so that the transfer of one leg of the transaction (such as buying a currency) happens only if the transfer of the other (such as selling another currency) occurs.

    Meridian FX sought to address some of the actions called for in the Group of 20 cross-border payments roadmap. For example, reducing foreign exchange settlement risk using payment-versus-payment transactions and establishing realistic links between the wholesale payment infrastructures of different countries. Synchronisation could also mitigate some of the liquidity risk and credit risk challenges in the foreign exchange market.

    The project connected a synthetic version of the UK RTGS system to three experimental Eurosystem interoperability solutions: DL3S (developed by the Banque de France), TIPS Hash-Link (developed by the Banca d’Italia) and the Trigger Solution (developed by the Deutsche Bundesbank).

    Combined with the results of previous work undertaken by the BIS and the Bank of England, Meridian FX shows that synchronisation can be agnostic to both the asset or fund of the transaction involved and the technology of the ledgers, highlighting its potential use in other markets.

    Insights gained from the project will inform the work programmes of the participating central banks.

    For media queries, please contact Benoit Deeg, tel.: +49 172 1683704.

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI Economics: ECB publishes indicative operational calendars for 2026

    Source: European Central Bank

    24 April 2025

    • ECB publishes indicative calendars for the Eurosystem’s regular tender operations and reserve maintenance periods for 2026

    The European Central Bank (ECB) today published the indicative calendars for the Eurosystem’s regular tender operations and reserve maintenance periods in 2026.

    The indicative calendar for the Eurosystem’s reserve maintenance periods takes into account the calendar for Governing Council meetings in 2026, as well as the calendar for regular tender operations.

    The indicative calendar for the Eurosystem’s regular tender operations includes only main refinancing operations (MROs) and three-month longer-term refinancing operations (LTROs). It does not include any supplementary or ad hoc operations which may be carried out in 2026.

    Indicative calendar for reserve maintenance periods in 2026 (including maintenance period 8 of 2025):

    MP

    Relevant Governing Council meeting

    Start of maintenance period

    End of maintenance period

    Reserve base data for credit institutions reporting monthly

    Reserve base data for credit institutions reporting quarterly

    Length of the maintenance period (days)

    8

    18 December 2025

    23 December 2025

    10 February 2026

    October 2025

    September 2025

    50

    1

    5 February 2026

    11 February 2026

    24 March 2026

    December 2025

    September 2025

    42

    2

    19 March 2026

    25 March 2026

    5 May 2026

    January 2026

    December 2025

    42

    3

    30 April 2026

    6 May 2026

    16 June 2026

    March 2026

    December 2025

    42

    4

    11 June 2026

    17 June 2026

    28 July 2026

    April 2026

    March 2026

    42

    5

    23 July 2026

    29 July 2026

    15 September 2026

    May 2026

    March 2026

    49

    6

    10 September 2026

    16 September 2026

    3 November 2026

    July 2026

    June 2026

    49

    7

    29 October 2026

    4 November 2026

    22 December 2026

    September 2026

    June 2026

    49

    8

    17 December 2026

    23 December 2026

    tbd

    October 2026

    September 2026

    tbd

    For media queries, please contact Lise Handal, tel.: +49 69 1344 17441.

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI: Crypto.com Selects Bread Financial to Launch New Crypto-based Rewards Credit Card Program in the U.S.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bread Financial® (NYSE: BFH), a tech-forward financial services company that provides simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions, today announced a multi-year agreement with Crypto.com, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, to launch the first Crypto.com credit card program in the United States.  

    The Crypto.com Visa Signature® Credit Card will offer Crypto.com customers a new way to make purchases, while earning CRO rewards1. With five credit card tiers, from Midnight Blue to Obsidian, cardmembers can earn uncapped CRO rewards at varying rates. For the first twelve months from account open or tier upgrade, select tiers will enjoy elevated CRO reward rates2. Higher tiers will have additional benefits through Crypto.com’s Level Up program, such as unlimited Spotify and Netflix rebates3.  
      
    Crypto.com customers will be able to pre-qualify or apply for a credit card directly through the Crypto.com app. Once approved, cardmembers can immediately add their card to their digital wallets. CRO rewards are deposited into the cardmember’s Crypto Wallet within the Crypto.com app, where they can view real-time earnings, and exchange CRO for hundreds of other cryptocurrencies, thousands of stocks, sports event trading, NFTs, staking and more.   
      
    “This credit card offers straightforward, compelling rewards that will help even the most novice trader maximize their investments with every purchase, while enabling experienced traders to incrementally stack gains over time as they use the card and move through the Level Up program,” said Val Greer, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Bread Financial. “We are excited to team up with Crypto.com to unlock this new payment option that will quickly become a must have credit card for its customers.” 

    “We are continually looking for innovative ways to give our customers greater access to new payment options, expanding their ability to make purchases and grow their rewards,” said Joe Anzures, general manager of Americas and EVP of payments at Crypto.com. “Partnering with a tech-forward company like Bread Financial to create innovative payment solutions provides our customers with a rewarding user experience and further advances the adoption of crypto.” 

    Committed to accelerating the adoption of cryptocurrency through innovation, Crypto.com is trusted by more than 140 million customers worldwide. The credit card program will be available to U.S. customers this summer. More information on the launch may be found here

    About Bread Financial® 
    Bread Financial® (NYSE: BFH) is a tech-forward financial services company that provides simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions to millions of U.S. consumers. Our payment solutions, including Bread Financial general purpose credit cards and savings products, empower our customers and their passions for a better life. Additionally, we deliver growth for some of the most recognized brands in travel & entertainment, health & beauty, jewelry and specialty apparel through our private label and co-brand credit cards and pay-over-time products providing choice and value to our shared customers.  
       
    To learn more about Bread Financial, our global associates and our sustainability commitments, visit breadfinancial.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.  
      
    About Crypto.com 
    Founded in 2016, Crypto.com is trusted by more than 140 million customers worldwide and is an industry leader in regulatory compliance, security and privacy. Our vision is simple: Cryptocurrency in Every Wallet™. Crypto.com is committed to accelerating the adoption of cryptocurrency through innovation. 
      
    Learn more at https:crypto.com/us

    1Level Up tiers require CRO lockup or Staking. If you do not wish to lockup or Stake, select the Midnight Blue tier. Offer is exclusive to Crypto.com Visa Signature® Credit Card holders enrolled in the Level Up program. This rewards program is provided by Crypto.com and its terms may change at any time. Full Rewards Terms and Conditions will be available at program launch. Crypto.com calculates and awards the amount of CRO tokens earned based on the current market rate at the time of your purchase.  

    2Limit of one 12 month period of Boost Rate per tier upgrade. Level up tiers require CRO lockup or Staking for 12 months from Crypto.com Visa Credit Card account opening. If you do not wish to lockup or Stake, select the Midnight Blue tier which is not eligible for this offer. Offer is exclusive to Crypto.com Visa Signature® Credit Card holders enrolled in the Level Up program. This rewards program is provided by Crypto.com and its terms may change at any time. Full Rewards Terms and Conditions will be available at program launch. Crypto.com calculates and awards the amount of CRO tokens earned based on the current market rate at the time of your purchase.  

    3Offer is available to Level Up members that are in the Ruby, Jade/Indigo, Icy/Rose, and Obsidian tiers.   

    Credit card offers are subject to credit approval.  

    Crypto.com Visa Signature® Credit Card Accounts are issued by Comenity Capital Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association and used under license. 

    Contacts
    Rachel Stultz – Media
    Rachel.Stultz@BreadFinancial.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Amalgamated Financial Corp. Reports First Quarter 2025 Financial Results; $446 Million Total Deposit Growth; Strong Margin at 3.55%

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amalgamated Financial Corp. (the “Company” or “Amalgamated”) (Nasdaq: AMAL), the holding company for Amalgamated Bank (the “Bank”), today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

    First Quarter 2025 Highlights (on a linked quarter basis)

    • Net income of $25.0 million, or $0.81 per diluted share, compared to $24.5 million, or $0.79 per diluted share.
    • Core net income1 of $27.1 million, or $0.88 per diluted share, compared to $28.0 million, or $0.90 per diluted share.

           Deposits and Liquidity

    • On-balance sheet deposits increased $231.5 million, or 3.2%, to $7.4 billion.
    • Off-balance sheet deposits were $214.5 million at the end of the quarter, comprised of mainly not-for-profit deposits and some political deposits.
    • Including deposits held off-balance sheet, total deposits increased $445.9 million, or 6.2%, to $7.6 billion.
    • Political deposits increased $102.7 million, or 11%, to $1.1 billion, which includes both on and off-balance sheet deposits.
    • Average cost of deposits, excluding Brokered CDs and off-balance sheet deposits, increased 7 basis points to 159 basis points, where non-interest-bearing deposits comprised 39% of total deposits.
    • Cash and borrowing capacity totaled $3.3 billion (immediately available) plus unpledged securities (two-day availability) of $301.0 million for total liquidity within two-days of $3.6 billion.
    • Total two-day liquidity is 94% of total uninsured deposits, and 164% of uninsured non-super core deposits1.

          Assets and Margin

    • Net interest margin decreased 4 basis points to 3.55%, as expected.
    • Net interest income decreased by $2.5 million, or 3.4%, to $70.6 million, as expected.
    • Net loans receivable increased $7.0 million, or 0.2%, to $4.6 billion.
    • Net loans in growth mode (commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, and multifamily) increased $25.8 million or 0.9%.
    • Total PACE assessments grew $3.2 million, or 0.3%, to $1.2 billion.
    • The multifamily and commercial real estate loan portfolios totaled $1.8 billion and had a concentration of 199% to total risk based capital.

           Capital and Returns

    • Tier 1 leverage ratio of 9.22%, increased by 22 basis points, and Common Equity Tier 1 ratio of 14.27%.
    • Tangible common equity1 ratio increased to 8.73%, representing a tenth consecutive quarter of improvement.
    • Tangible book value per share1 increased $0.91, or 4.0%, to $23.51, and has increased $6.18, or 35.7% since September 2021.
    • Core return on average tangible common equity1 of 15.54% and core return on average assets1 of 1.33%.

    Share Repurchase

    • Repurchased approximately 105,000 shares, or $3.5 million of common stock, through March 31, 2025.
    • On March 10, 2025, a new $40 million share repurchase program was approved, under which approximately 75,000 shares have been repurchased from April 1 through April 22, 2025.

    Priscilla Sims Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “All of our key earnings metrics came in strong and as expected, showing again that at Amalgamated, we do what we say we will. Our balance sheet boasts a low-risk asset profile including low commercial real-estate lending concentration, high levels of immediate and two-day liquidity, and return metrics near the top of our peer stack.”

    First Quarter Earnings

    Net income was $25.0 million, or $0.81 per diluted share, compared to $24.5 million, or $0.79 per diluted share, for the prior quarter. The $0.5 million increase during the quarter was primarily driven by a $3.1 million decrease in provision for credit losses, as well as a $0.8 million net valuation gain on residential loans sold during the quarter, compared to a $4.1 million reduction in fair value on residential loans moved to held for sale in the previous quarter. This was offset by an expected $2.5 million decrease in net interest income, an expected $1.9 million decrease in non-core income from solar tax equity investments, an expected $1.3 million decrease in non-core ICS One-Way Sell fee income from off-balance sheet deposits, and a $1.1 million increase in income tax expense.

    Core net income1 was $27.1 million, or $0.88 per diluted share, compared to $28.0 million, or $0.90 per diluted share, for the prior quarter. Excluded from core net income for the quarter, pre-tax, was $2.9 million of accelerated depreciation from solar tax equity investments, a $0.8 million net valuation gain from residential loans sold during the quarter, and $0.7 million of losses on the sale of securities. Excluded from core net income for the fourth quarter of 2024, pre-tax, was a $4.1 million reduction in fair value on a pool of lower yielding performing residential loans moved to held for sale, $1.3 million of ICS One-Way Sell fee income, $1.0 million of losses on the sale of securities, and $0.9 million of accelerated depreciation from solar tax equity investments.

    Net interest income was $70.6 million, compared to $73.1 million for the prior quarter. This decrease was expected as interest bearing off-balance sheet deposits moved back on balance sheet towards the end of the fourth quarter to replace largely non-interest bearing deposit outflow related to the election cycle conclusion and the full effect of interest rate resets from the prior quarter were recognized. Loan interest income and loan yields remained flat mainly as a $75.5 million increase in average loan balances was offset by paydowns on shorter-term high yielding commercial & industrial loans and a shorter day count in the quarter. Interest income on securities decreased $1.8 million driven by a decrease in the average balance of securities of $92.8 million. Interest expense on total interest-bearing deposits increased $0.3 million driven by an increase in the average balance of total interest-bearing deposits of $272.3 million partially offset by a 9 basis point decrease in cost. Additionally, while the average balance of borrowings increased $35.6 million, all short-term borrowings utilized at year-end were paid off over the course of the quarter. Remaining borrowings now substantially consist of lower-cost subordinated debt priced at 3.25% with a fixed rate maturity in November 2026.

    Net interest margin was 3.55%, an expected decrease of 4 basis points from 3.59% in the prior quarter. The decrease is largely due to a higher average balance of interest-bearing deposits as noted above, a $338.2 million decrease in non-interest bearing deposits, as well as a higher cost of funds. Prepayment penalties had no impact on net interest margin in the current quarter, compared to a one basis point impact in the prior quarter.

    Provision for credit losses totaled an expense of $0.6 million, compared to an expense of $3.7 million in the prior quarter. The expense in the first quarter was primarily driven by charge-offs on the consumer solar and small business portfolios, as well as increases in reserves for one leveraged commercial and industrial loan, offset by improvements in macro-economic forecasts used in the CECL model, primarily related to the consumer solar loan portfolio, which can be volatile.

    Non-interest income was $6.4 million, compared to $4.8 million in the prior quarter. Excluding all non-core income adjustments noted above, core non-interest income1 was $9.1 million, compared to $9.5 million in the prior quarter. The decrease was primarily related to lower commercial banking fees, offset by modestly higher income from Trust fees.

    Non-interest expense was $41.7 million, an increase of $0.5 million from the prior quarter. Core non-interest expense1 was $41.5 million, an increase of $0.4 million from the prior quarter. This was mainly driven by a $2.1 million increase in professional fees related to expected increases in digital transformation deployment and partnership costs to evaluate growth requirements and other advisory services. This increase is mainly offset by a $1.4 million decrease in compensation and employee benefits expense.

    Provision for income tax expense was $9.7 million, compared to $8.6 million for the prior quarter. The effective tax rate was 28.0%, compared to 25.9% in the prior quarter. The increase in the tax rate was the result of a higher annual effective tax rate for 2025, in addition to discrete tax items related to a city and state tax examination which led to a net increase in tax provision in the current quarter, as well as additional discrete items in the prior quarter which resulted in a tax benefit. Excluding these discrete items, the tax rate would have been 27.0%, compared to 26.6% in the prior quarter.

    Balance Sheet Quarterly Summary

    Total assets were $8.3 billion at March 31, 2025, compared to $8.3 billion at December 31, 2024, keeping the balance sheet neutral. Notable changes within individual balance sheet line items include a $65.1 million increase in securities and a $17.9 million increase in resell agreements to solidify net interest income, as well as a $7.0 million increase in net loans receivable. On the liabilities side, on-balance sheet deposits increased by $231.5 million while borrowings decreased by $244.7 million. Off-balance sheet deposits increased to $214.5 million in the quarter.

    Total net loans receivable at March 31, 2025 were $4.6 billion, an increase of $7.0 million, or 0.2% for the quarter. The increase in loans is primarily driven by a $20.3 million increase in multifamily loans, and a $7.8 million increase in commercial and industrial loans, offset by a $2.4 million decrease in commercial real estate loans, a $8.9 million decrease in consumer solar loans, and a $9.8 million decrease in residential loans. During the quarter, criticized or classified loans decreased $12.0 million, largely related to payoffs of three delinquent commercial and industrial loans totaling $10.1 million, the upgrade of one $1.4 million commercial & industrial loan, charge-offs of small business loans totaling $0.8 million, and a decrease of $4.5 million in residential and consumer substandard loans. This was offset by the downgrade of one $4.2 million commercial & industrial loan to special mention, and additional downgrades of small business loans totaling $1.0 million.

    Total on-balance sheet deposits at March 31, 2025 were $7.4 billion, an increase of $231.5 million, or 3.2%, during the quarter. Including accounts currently held off-balance sheet, deposits held by politically active customers, such as campaigns, PACs, advocacy-based organizations, and state and national party committees were $1.1 billion as of March 31, 2025, an increase of $102.7 million during the quarter. Non-interest-bearing deposits represented 39% of average total deposits and 39% of ending total deposits for the quarter, contributing to an average cost of total deposits of 159 basis points. Super-core deposits1 totaled approximately $4.0 billion, had a weighted average life of 18 years, and comprised 54% of total deposits, excluding Brokered CDs. Total uninsured deposits were $3.9 billion, comprising 52% of total deposits.

    Nonperforming assets totaled $33.9 million, or 0.41% of period-end total assets at March 31, 2025, an increase of $8.0 million, compared with $25.9 million, or 0.31% on a linked quarter basis. The increase in nonperforming assets was primarily driven by an $11.8 million increase in commercial & industrial non-accrual loans, including one $8.3 million commercial & industrial loan that was placed on non-accrual in the quarter. This was offset by the sale of $3.9 million in nonperforming residential loans that were reported as held-for-sale in the prior quarter.

    During the quarter, the allowance for credit losses on loans decreased $2.4 million to $57.7 million. The ratio of allowance to total loans was 1.23%, a decrease of 6 basis points from 1.29% in the fourth quarter of 2024. The decrease was primarily the result of improvements in the macroeconomic forecasts used in the CECL model, mainly related to the consumer solar loan portfolio, which can be volatile, offset by charge-offs on consumer solar and small business portfolios, as well as increases in reserves for one legacy leveraged commercial and industrial loan.

    Capital Quarterly Summary

    As of March 31, 2025, the Common Equity Tier 1 Capital ratio was 14.27%, the Total Risk-Based Capital ratio was 16.61%, and the Tier 1 Leverage Capital ratio was 9.22%, compared to 13.90%, 16.26% and 9.00%, respectively, as of December 31, 2024. Stockholders’ equity at March 31, 2025 was $736.0 million, an increase of $28.3 million during the quarter. The increase in stockholders’ equity was primarily driven by $25.0 million of net income for the quarter and a $11.3 million improvement in accumulated other comprehensive loss due to the tax-effected mark-to-market on available for sale securities, offset by $4.3 million in dividends paid at $0.14 per outstanding share.

    Tangible book value per share1 was $23.51 as of March 31, 2025 compared to $22.60 as of December 31, 2024. Tangible common equity1 improved to 8.73% of tangible assets, compared to 8.41% as of December 31, 2024.

    Conference Call

    As previously announced, Amalgamated Financial Corp. will host a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2025 results today, April 24, 2025 at 11:00am (Eastern Time). The conference call can be accessed by dialing 1-877-407-9716 (domestic) or 1-201-493-6779 (international) and asking for the Amalgamated Financial Corp. First Quarter 2025 Earnings Call. A telephonic replay will be available approximately two hours after the call and can be accessed by dialing 1-844-512-2921, or for international callers 1-412-317-6671 and providing the access code 13752421. The telephonic replay will be available until May 1, 2025.

    Interested investors and other parties may also listen to a simultaneous webcast of the conference call by logging onto the investor relations section of the Company’s website at https://ir.amalgamatedbank.com/. The online replay will remain available for a limited time beginning immediately following the call.

    The presentation materials for the call can be accessed on the investor relations section of the Company’s website at https://ir.amalgamatedbank.com/.

    About Amalgamated Financial Corp.

    Amalgamated Financial Corp. is a Delaware public benefit corporation and a bank holding company engaged in commercial banking and financial services through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Amalgamated Bank. Amalgamated Bank is a New York-based full-service commercial bank and a chartered trust company with a combined network of five branches across New York City, Washington D.C., and San Francisco, and a commercial office in Boston. Amalgamated Bank was formed in 1923 as Amalgamated Bank of New York by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, one of the country’s oldest labor unions. Amalgamated Bank provides commercial banking and trust services nationally and offers a full range of products and services to both commercial and retail customers. Amalgamated Bank is a proud member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values and is a certified B Corporation®. As of March 31, 2025, total assets were $8.3 billion, total net loans were $4.6 billion, and total deposits were $7.4 billion. Additionally, as of March 31, 2025, the trust business held $35.7 billion in assets under custody and $14.2 billion in assets under management.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    This release (and the accompanying financial information and tables) refer to certain non-GAAP financial measures including, without limitation, “Core operating revenue,” “Core non-interest expense,” “Core non-interest income,” “Core net income,” “Tangible common equity,” “Average tangible common equity,” “Core return on average assets,” “Core return on average tangible common equity,” and “Core efficiency ratio.”

    Management utilizes this information to compare operating performance for March 31, 2025 versus certain periods in 2024 and to prepare internal projections. The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures facilitate making period-to-period comparisons and are meaningful indications of operating performance. In addition, because intangible assets such as goodwill and other discrete items unrelated to core business, which are excluded, vary extensively from company to company, the Company believe that the presentation of this information allows investors to more easily compare results to those of other companies.

    The presentation of non-GAAP financial information, however, is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial measures. The Company strongly encourage readers to review the GAAP financial measures included in this release and not to place undue reliance upon any single financial measure. In addition, because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare the non-GAAP financial measures presented in this release with other companies’ non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial disclosures to comparable GAAP measures found in this release are set forth in the final pages of this release and also may be viewed on the Company’s website, amalgamatedbank.com.

    Terminology

    Certain terms used in this release are defined as follows:

    “Core efficiency ratio” is defined as “Core non-interest expense” divided by “Core operating revenue.” The Company believes the most directly comparable performance ratio derived from GAAP financial measures is an efficiency ratio calculated by dividing total non-interest expense by the sum of net interest income and total non-interest income.

    “Core net income” is defined as net income after tax excluding gains and losses on sales of securities, ICS One-Way Sell fee income, changes in fair value on loans held-for-sale, gains on the sale of owned property, costs related to branch closures, restructuring/severance costs, acquisition costs, tax credits and accelerated depreciation on solar equity investments, and taxes on notable pre-tax items. The Company believes the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is net income.

    “Core non-interest expense” is defined as total non-interest expense excluding costs related to branch closures, and restructuring/severance. The Company believes the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is total non-interest expense.

    “Core non-interest income” is defined as total non-interest income excluding gains and losses on sales of securities, ICS One-Way Sell fee income, changes in fair value on loans held-for-sale, gains on the sale of owned property, and tax credits and accelerated depreciation on solar equity investments. The Company believes the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is non-interest income.

    “Core operating revenue” is defined as total net interest income plus “core non-interest income”. The Company believes the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is the total of net interest income and non-interest income.

    “Core return on average assets” is defined as “Core net income” divided by average total assets. The Company believes the most directly comparable performance ratio derived from GAAP financial measures is return on average assets calculated by dividing net income by average total assets.

    “Core return on average tangible common equity” is defined as “Core net income” divided by average “tangible common equity.” The Company believes the most directly comparable performance ratio derived from GAAP financial measures is return on average equity calculated by dividing net income by average total stockholders’ equity.

    “Super-core deposits” are defined as total deposits from commercial and consumer customers, with a relationship length of greater than 5 years. The Company believes the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is total deposits.

    “Tangible assets” are defined as total assets excluding, as applicable, goodwill and core deposit intangibles. The Company believes the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is total assets.

    “Tangible common equity”, and “Tangible book value” are defined as stockholders’ equity excluding, as applicable, minority interests, goodwill and core deposit intangibles. The Company believes that the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is total stockholders’ equity.

    “Traditional securities portfolio” is defined as total investment securities excluding PACE assessments. The Company believes the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is total investment securities.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Statements included in this release that are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified through the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “anticipate,” “aspire,” “should,” “would,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” “in the future,” “may” and “intend,” as well as other similar words and expressions of the future. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, any or all of which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to:

    1. uncertain conditions in the banking industry and in national, regional and local economies in core markets, which may have an adverse impact on business, operations and financial performance;
    2. deterioration in the financial condition of borrowers resulting in significant increases in credit losses and provisions for those losses;
    3. deposit outflows and subsequent declines in liquidity caused by factors that could include lack of confidence in the banking system, a deterioration in market conditions or the financial condition of depositors;
    4. changes in deposits, including an increase in uninsured deposits;
    5. ability to maintain sufficient liquidity to meet deposit and debt obligations as they come due, which may require that the Company sell investment securities at a loss, negatively impacting net income, earnings and capital;
    6. unfavorable conditions in the capital markets, which may cause declines in stock price and the value of investments;
    7. negative economic and political conditions that adversely affect the general economy, housing prices, the real estate market, the job market, consumer confidence, the financial condition of borrowers and consumer spending habits, which may affect, among other things, the level of non-performing assets, charge-offs and provision expense;
    8. fluctuations or unanticipated changes in the interest rate environment including changes in net interest margin or changes in the yield curve that affect investments, loans or deposits;
    9. the general decline in the real estate and lending markets, particularly in commercial real estate in the Company’s market areas, and the effects of the enactment of or changes to rent-control and other similar regulations on multi-family housing;
    10. potential implementation by the current presidential administration of a regulatory reform agenda that is significantly different from that of the prior presidential administration, impacting the rule making, supervision, examination and enforcement of the banking regulation agencies;
    11. changes in U.S. trade policies and other global political factors beyond the Company’s control, including the imposition of tariffs, which raise economic uncertainty, potentially leading to slower growth and a decrease in loan demand;
    12. the outcome of legal or regulatory proceedings that may be instituted against us;
    13. inability to achieve organic loan and deposit growth and the composition of that growth;
    14. composition of the Company’s loan portfolio, including any concentration in industries or sectors that may experience unanticipated or anticipated adverse conditions greater than other industries or sectors in the national or local economies in which the Company operates;
    15. inaccuracy of the assumptions and estimates the Company makes and policies that the Company implements in establishing the allowance for credit losses;
    16. changes in loan underwriting, credit review or loss reserve policies associated with economic conditions, examination conclusions, or regulatory developments;
    17. any matter that would cause the Company to conclude that there was impairment of any asset, including intangible assets;
    18. limitations on the ability to declare and pay dividends;
    19. the impact of competition with other financial institutions, including pricing pressures and the resulting impact on results, including as a result of compression to net interest margin;
    20. increased competition for experienced members of the workforce including executives in the banking industry;
    21. a failure in or breach of operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of third party vendors or other service providers, including as a result of unauthorized access, computer viruses, phishing schemes, spam attacks, human error, natural disasters, power loss and other security breaches;
    22. increased regulatory scrutiny and exposure from the use of “big data” techniques, machine learning, and artificial intelligence;
    23. a downgrade in the Company’s credit rating;
    24. “greenwashing claims” against the Company and environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) products and increased scrutiny and political opposition to ESG and diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) practices;
    25. any unanticipated or greater than anticipated adverse conditions (including the possibility of earthquakes, wildfires, and other natural disasters) affecting the markets in which the Company operates;
    26. physical and transitional risks related to climate change as they impact the business and the businesses that the Company finances;
    27. future repurchase of the Company’s shares through the Company’s common stock repurchase program; and
    28. descriptions of assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing.

    Additional factors which could affect the forward-looking statements can be found in the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC and available on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov/. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this release, which speak only as of the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

    Investor Contact:
    Jamie Lillis
    Solebury Strategic Communications
    shareholderrelations@amalgamatedbank.com
    800-895-4172

    Consolidated Statements of Income (unaudited)
      Three Months Ended
      March 31,   December 31,   March 31,
    ($ in thousands)   2025       2024       2024  
    INTEREST AND DIVIDEND INCOME          
    Loans $ 57,843     $ 58,024     $ 51,952  
    Securities   41,653       43,448       42,390  
    Interest-bearing deposits in banks   1,194       1,113       2,592  
    Total interest and dividend income   100,690       102,585       96,934  
    INTEREST EXPENSE          
    Deposits   28,917       28,582       25,891  
    Borrowed funds   1,196       908       3,006  
    Total interest expense   30,113       29,490       28,897  
    NET INTEREST INCOME   70,577       73,095       68,037  
    Provision for credit losses   596       3,686       1,588  
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses   69,981       69,409       66,449  
    NON-INTEREST INCOME          
    Trust Department fees   4,191       3,971       3,854  
    Service charges on deposit accounts   3,438       5,337       6,136  
    Bank-owned life insurance income   626       661       609  
    Losses on sale of securities   (680 )     (1,003 )     (2,774 )
    Gain (loss) on sale of loans and changes in fair value on loans held-for-sale, net   832       (4,090 )     47  
    Equity method investments income (loss)   (2,508 )     (529 )     2,072  
    Other income   507       442       285  
    Total non-interest income   6,406       4,789       10,229  
    NON-INTEREST EXPENSE          
    Compensation and employee benefits   23,314       24,691       22,273  
    Occupancy and depreciation   3,293       3,376       2,904  
    Professional fees   4,739       2,674       2,376  
    Technology   5,619       5,299       4,629  
    Office maintenance and depreciation   629       578       663  
    Amortization of intangible assets   144       183       183  
    Advertising and promotion   51       314       1,219  
    Federal deposit insurance premiums   900       715       1,050  
    Other expense   2,961       3,313       2,855  
    Total non-interest expense   41,650       41,143       38,152  
    Income before income taxes   34,737       33,055       38,526  
    Income tax expense   9,709       8,564       11,277  
    Net income $ 25,028     $ 24,491     $ 27,249  
    Earnings per common share – basic $ 0.82     $ 0.80     $ 0.89  
    Earnings per common share – diluted $ 0.81     $ 0.79     $ 0.89  
    Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition

    ($ in thousands) March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    Assets (unaudited)       (unaudited)
    Cash and due from banks $ 4,196     $ 4,042     $ 3,830  
    Interest-bearing deposits in banks   61,518       56,707       151,374  
    Total cash and cash equivalents   65,714       60,749       155,204  
    Securities:          
    Available for sale, at fair value          
    Traditional securities   1,546,127       1,477,047       1,445,793  
    Property Assessed Clean Energy (“PACE”) assessments   161,147       152,011       82,258  
        1,707,274       1,629,058       1,528,051  
    Held-to-maturity, at amortized cost:          
    Traditional securities, net of allowance for credit losses of $47, $49, and $53, respectively   535,065       542,246       616,172  
    PACE assessments, net of allowance for credit losses of $654, $655, and $657, respectively   1,038,052       1,043,959       1,057,790  
        1,573,117       1,586,205       1,673,962  
               
    Loans held for sale   3,667       37,593       2,137  
    Loans receivable, net of deferred loan origination costs   4,677,506       4,672,924       4,423,780  
    Allowance for credit losses   (57,676 )     (60,086 )     (64,400 )
    Loans receivable, net   4,619,830       4,612,838       4,359,380  
               
    Resell agreements   41,651       23,741       131,242  
    Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (“FHLBNY”) stock, at cost   4,679       15,693       4,603  
    Accrued interest receivable   55,092       61,172       53,436  
    Premises and equipment, net   7,366       6,386       7,128  
    Bank-owned life insurance   108,652       108,026       106,137  
    Right-of-use lease asset   12,477       14,231       19,797  
    Deferred tax asset, net   33,799       42,437       49,171  
    Goodwill   12,936       12,936       12,936  
    Intangible assets, net   1,343       1,487       2,034  
    Equity method investments   5,639       8,482       14,801  
    Other assets   31,991       35,858       16,663  
    Total assets $ 8,285,227     $ 8,256,892     $ 8,136,682  
    Liabilities          
    Deposits $ 7,412,072     $ 7,180,605     $ 7,305,765  
    Borrowings   69,676       314,409       139,705  
    Operating leases   17,190       19,734       27,250  
    Other liabilities   50,293       34,490       47,024  
    Total liabilities   7,549,231       7,549,238       7,519,744  
    Stockholders’ equity          
    Common stock, par value $0.01 per share   309       308       307  
    Additional paid-in capital   288,539       288,656       287,198  
    Retained earnings   500,783       480,144       412,190  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes   (47,308 )     (58,637 )     (78,872 )
    Treasury stock, at cost   (6,327 )     (2,817 )     (4,018 )
    Total Amalgamated Financial Corp. stockholders’ equity   735,996       707,654       616,805  
    Noncontrolling interests               133  
    Total stockholders’ equity   735,996       707,654       616,938  
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 8,285,227     $ 8,256,892     $ 8,136,682  
               
    Select Financial Data
      As of and for the
      Three Months Ended
      March 31,   December 31,   March 31,
    (Shares in thousands)   2025     2024     2024
    Selected Financial Ratios and Other Data:          
    Earnings per share          
    Basic $ 0.82   $ 0.80   $ 0.89
    Diluted   0.81     0.79     0.89
    Core net income (non-GAAP)          
    Basic $ 0.88   $ 0.91   $ 0.84
    Diluted   0.88     0.90     0.83
    Book value per common share (excluding minority interest) $ 23.98   $ 23.07   $ 20.22
    Tangible book value per share (non-GAAP) $ 23.51   $ 22.60   $ 19.73
    Common shares outstanding, par value $0.01 per share(1)   30,697     30,671     30,510
    Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic   30,682     30,677     30,476
    Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted   30,946     30,976     30,737
               
    (1) 70,000,000 shares authorized; 30,940,480, 30,809,484, and 30,736,141 shares issued for the periods ended March 31, 2025, December 31, 2024, and March 31, 2024 respectively, and 30,696,940, 30,670,982, and 30,510,393 shares outstanding for the periods ended March 31, 2025, December 31, 2024, and March 31, 2024, respectively.
    Select Financial Data
      As of and for the   As of and for the
      Three Months Ended   Three Months Ended
      March 31,   December
    31,
      March 31,   March 31,
      2025     2024     2024     2025     2024  
    Selected Performance Metrics:                  
    Return on average assets 1.22 %   1.17 %   1.36 %   1.22 %   1.36 %
    Core return on average assets (non-GAAP) 1.33 %   1.34 %   1.27 %   1.33 %   1.27 %
    Return on average equity 14.05 %   13.83 %   18.24 %   14.05 %   18.24 %
    Core return on average tangible common equity (non-GAAP) 15.54 %   16.13 %   17.59 %   15.54 %   17.59 %
    Average equity to average assets 8.71 %   8.48 %   7.44 %   8.71 %   7.44 %
    Tangible common equity to tangible assets (non-GAAP) 8.73 %   8.41 %   7.41 %   8.73 %   7.41 %
    Loan yield 5.00 %   5.00 %   4.76 %   5.00 %   4.76 %
    Securities yield 5.15 %   5.12 %   5.21 %   5.15 %   5.21 %
    Deposit cost 1.59 %   1.53 %   1.46 %   1.59 %   1.46 %
    Net interest margin 3.55 %   3.59 %   3.49 %   3.55 %   3.49 %
    Efficiency ratio(1) 54.10 %   52.83 %   48.75 %   54.10 %   48.75 %
    Core efficiency ratio (non-GAAP) 52.11 %   49.82 %   50.40 %   52.11 %   50.40 %
                       
    Asset Quality Ratios:                  
    Nonaccrual loans to total loans 0.70 %   0.45 %   0.75 %   0.70 %   0.75 %
    Nonperforming assets to total assets 0.41 %   0.31 %   0.42 %   0.41 %   0.42 %
    Allowance for credit losses on loans to nonaccrual loans 175.07 %   286.00 %   195.04 %   175.07 %   195.04 %
    Allowance for credit losses on loans to total loans 1.23 %   1.29 %   1.46 %   1.23 %   1.46 %
    Annualized net charge-offs to average loans 0.22 %   0.36 %   0.20 %   0.22 %   0.20 %
                       
    Capital Ratios:                  
    Tier 1 leverage capital ratio 9.22 %   9.00 %   8.29 %   9.22 %   8.29 %
    Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio 14.27 %   13.90 %   13.68 %   14.27 %   13.68 %
    Total risk-based capital ratio 16.61 %   16.26 %   16.35 %   16.61 %   16.35 %
    Common equity tier 1 capital ratio 14.27 %   13.90 %   13.68 %   14.27 %   13.68 %
                       
    (1)Efficiency ratio is calculated by dividing total non-interest expense by the sum of net interest income and total non-interest income
    Loan and PACE Assessments Portfolio Composition


    (In thousands) At March 31, 2025   At December 31, 2024   At March 31, 2024
      Amount   % of total   Amount   % of total   Amount   % of total
    Commercial portfolio:                      
    Commercial and industrial $ 1,183,297     25.3 %   $ 1,175,490     25.2 %   $ 1,014,084     22.9 %
    Multifamily   1,371,950     29.3 %     1,351,604     28.9 %     1,175,467     26.6 %
    Commercial real estate   409,004     8.7 %     411,387     8.8 %     353,598     8.0 %
    Construction and land development   20,690     0.4 %     20,683     0.4 %     23,266     0.5 %
    Total commercial portfolio   2,984,941     63.8 %     2,959,164     63.3 %     2,566,415     58.0 %
                           
    Retail portfolio:                      
    Residential real estate lending   1,303,856     27.9 %     1,313,617     28.1 %     1,419,321     32.1 %
    Consumer solar   356,601     7.6 %     365,516     7.8 %     398,501     9.0 %
    Consumer and other   32,108     0.7 %     34,627     0.8 %     39,543     0.9 %
    Total retail portfolio   1,692,565     36.2 %     1,713,760     36.7 %     1,857,365     42.0 %
    Total loans held for investment   4,677,506     100.0 %     4,672,924     100.0 %     4,423,780     100.0 %
                           
    Allowance for credit losses   (57,676 )         (60,086 )         (64,400 )    
    Loans receivable, net $ 4,619,830         $ 4,612,838         $ 4,359,380      
                           
    PACE assessments:                      
    Available for sale, at fair value                      
    Residential PACE assessments   161,147     13.4 %     152,011     12.7 %     82,258     7.2 %
                           
    Held-to-maturity, at amortized cost                      
    Commercial PACE assessments   271,200     22.6 %     268,692     22.5 %     256,661     22.5 %
    Residential PACE assessments   767,507     64.0 %     775,922     64.8 %     801,786     70.3 %
    Total Held-to-maturity PACE assessments   1,038,707     86.6 %     1,044,614     87.3 %     1,058,447     92.8 %
    Total PACE assessments   1,199,854     100.0 %     1,196,625     100.0 %     1,140,705     100.0 %
                           
    Allowance for credit losses   (654 )         (655 )         (657 )    
    Total PACE assessments, net $ 1,199,200         $ 1,195,970         $ 1,140,048      
                           
                           
    Loans receivable, net and total PACE assessments, net as a % of Deposits   78.5 %         80.9 %         75.3 %    
    Loans receivable, net and total PACE assessments, net as a % of Deposits excluding Brokered CDs   78.5 %         80.9 %         77.0 %    
    Net Interest Income Analysis
      Three Months Ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    (In thousands) Average
    Balance
    Income / Expense Yield /
    Rate
      Average
    Balance
    Income / Expense Yield /
    Rate
      Average
    Balance
    Income / Expense Yield /
    Rate
                                       
    Interest-earning assets:                                  
    Interest-bearing deposits in banks $ 121,321   $ 1,194   3.99 %   $ 105,958   $ 1,113   4.18 %   $ 205,369   $ 2,592   5.08 %
    Securities(1)   3,220,590     40,867   5.15 %     3,313,349     42,632   5.12 %     3,170,356     41,064   5.21 %
    Resell agreements   30,169     786   10.57 %     50,938     816   6.37 %     79,011     1,326   6.75 %
    Loans receivable, net(2)   4,695,264     57,843   5.00 %     4,619,723     58,024   5.00 %     4,390,489     51,952   4.76 %
    Total interest-earning assets   8,067,344     100,690   5.06 %     8,089,968     102,585   5.04 %     7,845,225     96,934   4.97 %
    Non-interest-earning assets:                                  
    Cash and due from banks   5,045             6,291             5,068        
    Other assets   220,589             214,868             226,270        
    Total assets $ 8,292,978           $ 8,311,127           $ 8,076,563        
                                       
    Interest-bearing liabilities:                                  
    Savings, NOW and money market deposits $ 4,242,786   $ 26,806   2.56 %   $ 3,971,128   $ 26,329   2.64 %   $ 3,591,551   $ 21,872   2.45 %
    Time deposits   232,683     2,111   3.68 %     220,205     2,085   3.77 %     188,045     1,576   3.37 %
    Brokered CDs         0.00 %     11,822     169   5.69 %     190,240     2,443   5.16 %
    Total interest-bearing deposits   4,475,469     28,917   2.62 %     4,203,155     28,583   2.71 %     3,969,836     25,891   2.62 %
    Borrowings   134,340     1,196   3.61 %     98,768     908   3.66 %     288,093     3,006   4.20 %
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   4,609,809     30,113   2.65 %     4,301,923     29,491   2.73 %     4,257,929     28,897   2.73 %
    Non-interest-bearing liabilities:                                  
    Demand and transaction deposits   2,901,061             3,239,251             3,138,238        
    Other liabilities   59,728             65,580             79,637        
    Total liabilities   7,570,598             7,606,754             7,475,804        
    Stockholders’ equity   722,380             704,373             600,759        
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 8,292,978           $ 8,311,127           $ 8,076,563        
                                       
    Net interest income / interest rate spread     $ 70,577   2.41 %       $ 73,094   2.31 %       $ 68,037   2.24 %
    Net interest-earning assets / net interest margin $ 3,457,535       3.55 %   $ 3,788,045       3.59 %   $ 3,587,296       3.49 %
                                       
    Total deposits excluding Brokered CDs / total cost of deposits excluding Brokered CDs $ 7,376,530       1.59 %   $ 7,430,584       1.52 %   $ 6,917,834       1.36 %
    Total deposits / total cost of deposits $ 7,376,530       1.59 %   $ 7,442,406       1.53 %   $ 7,108,074       1.46 %
    Total funding / total cost of funds $ 7,510,870       1.63 %   $ 7,541,174       1.56 %   $ 7,396,167       1.57 %

    (1) Includes Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) stock in the average balance, and dividend income on FHLB stock in interest income.
    (2) Includes prepayment penalty interest income in 1Q2025, 4Q2024, or 1Q2024 of $0, $121, and $18, respectively (in thousands).

    Deposit Portfolio Composition
      Three Months Ended
    (In thousands) March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      Ending
    Balance
      Average
    Balance
      Ending
    Balance
      Average
    Balance
      Ending
    Balance
      Average
    Balance
    Non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts $ 2,895,757   $ 2,901,061   $ 2,868,506   $ 3,239,251   $ 3,182,047   $ 3,138,238
    NOW accounts   187,078     177,827     179,765     174,963     200,900     197,659
    Money market deposit accounts   3,772,423     3,739,548     3,564,423     3,471,242     3,222,271     3,051,670
    Savings accounts   330,410     325,411     328,696     324,922     341,054     342,222
    Time deposits   226,404     232,683     239,215     220,205     197,265     188,045
    Brokered certificates of deposit (“CDs”)               11,822     162,228     190,240
    Total deposits $ 7,412,072   $ 7,376,530   $ 7,180,605   $ 7,442,405   $ 7,305,765   $ 7,108,074
                           
    Total deposits excluding Brokered CDs $ 7,412,072   $ 7,376,530   $ 7,180,605   $ 7,430,583   $ 7,143,537   $ 6,917,834
      Three Months Ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    (In thousands) Average
    Rate
    Paid
    (1)
      Cost of
    Funds
      Average
    Rate
    Paid
    (1)
      Cost of
    Funds
      Average
    Rate
    Paid
    (1)
      Cost of
    Funds
                           
    Non-interest bearing demand deposit accounts 0.00 %   0.00 %   0.00 %   0.00 %   0.00 %   0.00 %
    NOW accounts 0.72 %   0.70 %   0.72 %   0.81 %   1.05 %   1.03 %
    Money market deposit accounts 2.73 %   2.76 %   2.67 %   2.85 %   2.96 %   2.67 %
    Savings accounts 1.28 %   1.28 %   1.32 %   1.37 %   1.34 %   1.29 %
    Time deposits 3.52 %   3.68 %   3.54 %   3.77 %   3.44 %   3.37 %
    Brokered CDs %   %   %   5.69 %   4.99 %   5.16 %
    Total deposits 1.57 %   1.59 %   1.52 %   1.53 %   1.60 %   1.46 %
                           
    Interest-bearing deposits excluding Brokered CDs 2.58 %   2.62 %   2.54 %   2.70 %   2.75 %   2.50 %

    (1) Average rate paid is calculated as the weighted average of spot rates on deposit accounts. Off-balance sheet deposits are excluded from all calculations shown.

    Asset Quality


    (In thousands) March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    Loans 90 days past due and accruing $   $   $
    Nonaccrual loans held for sale   989     4,853     989
    Nonaccrual loans – Commercial   27,872     16,041     24,228
    Nonaccrual loans – Retail   5,072     4,968     8,791
    Nonaccrual securities   7     8     31
    Total nonperforming assets $ 33,940   $ 25,870   $ 34,039
               
    Nonaccrual loans:          
    Commercial and industrial $ 12,786   $ 872   $ 8,750
    Commercial real estate   3,979     4,062     4,354
    Construction and land development   11,107     11,107     11,124
    Total commercial portfolio   27,872     16,041     24,228
               
    Residential real estate lending   1,375     1,771     4,763
    Consumer solar   3,479     2,827     3,852
    Consumer and other   218     370     176
    Total retail portfolio   5,072     4,968     8,791
    Total nonaccrual loans $ 32,944   $ 21,009   $ 33,019
               
    Credit Quality

      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    ($ in thousands)          
    Criticized and classified loans          
    Commercial and industrial $ 55,157   $ 62,614   $ 62,242
    Multifamily   8,540     8,573     10,274
    Commercial real estate   3,979     4,062     8,475
    Construction and land development   11,107     11,107     11,124
    Residential real estate lending   1,375     6,387     4,763
    Consumer solar   3,479     2,827     3,852
    Consumer and other   218     370     176
    Total loans $ 83,855   $ 95,940   $ 100,906
    Criticized and classified loans to total loans          
    Commercial and industrial 1.18 %   1.34 %   1.41 %
    Multifamily 0.18 %   0.18 %   0.23 %
    Commercial real estate 0.09 %   0.09 %   0.19 %
    Construction and land development 0.24 %   0.24 %   0.25 %
    Residential real estate lending 0.03 %   0.14 %   0.11 %
    Consumer solar 0.07 %   0.06 %   0.09 %
    Consumer and other %   0.01 %   0.01 %
    Total loans 1.79 %   2.06 %   2.29 %
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
      Annualized
    net charge-
    offs
    (recoveries)
    to average
    loans
      ACL to total portfolio balance   Annualized
    net charge-
    offs
    (recoveries)
    to average
    loans
      ACL to total portfolio balance   Annualized
    net charge-
    offs
    (recoveries)
    to average
    loans
      ACL to total portfolio
    balance
    Commercial and industrial 0.28 %   1.29 %   0.53 %   1.15 %   0.16 %   1.58 %
    Multifamily %   0.23 %   0.15 %   0.21 %   %   0.38 %
    Commercial real estate %   0.39 %   %   0.39 %   %   0.40 %
    Construction and land development %   6.05 %   (7.19) %   6.06 %   %   3.67 %
    Residential real estate lending %   0.73 %   0.28 %   0.71 %   %   0.87 %
    Consumer solar 1.90 %   7.01 %   1.71 %   7.96 %   1.67 %   6.72 %
    Consumer and other 0.70 %   5.67 %   0.86 %   6.83 %   0.86 %   6.36 %
    Total loans 0.22 %   1.23 %   0.36 %   1.29 %   0.20 %   1.46 %
    Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures
    The information provided below presents a reconciliation of each of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly
    comparable GAAP financial measure.
      As of and for the
      Three Months Ended
    (in thousands) March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    Core operating revenue          
    Net Interest Income (GAAP) $ 70,577     $ 73,095     $ 68,037  
    Non-interest income (GAAP)   6,406       4,789       10,229  
    Add: Securities loss   680       1,003       2,774  
    Less: ICS One-Way Sell Fee Income(1)   (9 )     (1,347 )     (2,903 )
    Less: Changes in fair value of loans held-for-sale(6)   (837 )     4,117        
    Add: Tax (credits) depreciation on solar investments(3)   2,868       920       (1,808 )
    Core operating revenue (non-GAAP) $ 79,685     $ 82,577     $ 76,329  
               
    Core non-interest expense          
    Non-interest expense (GAAP) $ 41,650     $ 41,143     $ 38,152  
    Add: Gain on settlement of lease termination(4)               499  
    Less: Severance costs(5)   (125 )     (1 )     (184 )
    Core non-interest expense (non-GAAP) $ 41,525     $ 41,142     $ 38,467  
               
    Core net income          
    Net Income (GAAP) $ 25,028     $ 24,491     $ 27,249  
    Add: Securities loss   680       1,003       2,774  
    Less: ICS One-Way Sell Fee Income(1)   (9 )     (1,347 )     (2,903 )
    Less: Changes in fair value of loans held-for-sale(6)   (837 )     4,117        
    Less: Gain on settlement of lease termination(4)               (499 )
    Add: Severance costs(5)   125       1       184  
    Add: Tax (credits) depreciation on solar investments(3)   2,868       920       (1,808 )
    Less: Tax on notable items   (731 )     (1,217 )     607  
    Core net income (non-GAAP) $ 27,124     $ 27,968     $ 25,604  
               
    Tangible common equity          
    Stockholders’ equity (GAAP) $ 735,996     $ 707,654     $ 616,938  
    Less: Minority interest               (133 )
    Less: Goodwill   (12,936 )     (12,936 )     (12,936 )
    Less: Core deposit intangible   (1,343 )     (1,487 )     (2,034 )
    Tangible common equity (non-GAAP) $ 721,717     $ 693,231     $ 601,835  
               
    Average tangible common equity          
    Average stockholders’ equity (GAAP) $ 722,380     $ 704,373     $ 600,759  
    Less: Minority interest         (132 )     (133 )
    Less: Goodwill   (12,936 )     (12,936 )     (12,936 )
    Less: Core deposit intangible   (1,413 )     (1,575 )     (2,123 )
    Average tangible common equity (non-GAAP) $ 708,031     $ 689,730     $ 585,567  

    (1) Included in service charges on deposit accounts in the Consolidated Statements of Income
    (2) Included in other income in the Consolidated Statements of Income
    (3) Included in equity method investments income in the Consolidated Statements of Income
    (4) Included in occupancy and depreciation in the Consolidated Statements of Income
    (5) Included in compensation and employee benefits in the Consolidated Statements of Income
    (6) Included in changes in fair value of loans held-for-sale in the Consolidated Statements of Income

    1 Definitions are presented under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measure are set forth on the last page of the financial information accompanying this press release and may also be found on the Company’s website, www.amalgamatedbank.com.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Europe: The world’s first artificial energy island

    Source: European Investment Bank

    The project’s developer, Elia, which operates Belgium’s electricity grid as well as grids in the north and east of Germany, is taking considerable steps to offset the impact of the structure on the delicate marine environment. Using a “nature-inclusive design,” the project team has incorporated features to foster biodiversity above and below the waves.

    On the surface, the island will include specially designed spaces for bird nesting, while underwater, structures will provide ideal conditions for oyster beds and other marine life to flourish. These elements will transform a normal piece of offshore infrastructure into an artificial reef that actively contributes to the North Sea ecosystem.

    “Europe’s seas are becoming the power plants of the future,” says Marleen Vanhecke, Elia Group’s head of external communications. “Elia aims to set the standard for the sustainable construction of future offshore infrastructure. By incorporating biodiversity measures, we aim to inspire other developers to undertake similar initiatives.”

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Africa: African Mining Week (AMW) to Spotlight Investor Strategies Driving Africa’s Mineral Industrialization

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 24, 2025/APO Group/ —

    African Mining Week (AMW) – taking place from October 1–3, 2025, in Cape Town – will connect global investors with high-impact opportunities across Africa’s mining sector, spotlighting the strategies fueling the continent’s mineral industrialization.

    A key highlight of the event will be a high-level panel, The Investor Perspective: Financing Africa’s Mineral Industrialization. The session will explore the evolving investment landscape and examine diverse financing mechanisms – including bank loans, private equity, venture capital and impact investing – that are mobilizing capital into African mining.

    DFIs Drive Infrastructure Investments

    Attracted by strong returns and Africa’s long-term growth potential, development finance institutions (DFIs) are ramping up investments into the continent’s mining infrastructure. In March 2025, the African Development Bank approved a $150 million loan to Mauritania’s state-owned mining company SNIM and committed $500 million to the Lobito Corridor – a strategic railway project linking Angola, the DRC and Zambia to international markets. Meanwhile, the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) is backing several critical mineral projects, including Nyanza Light Metals’ $780 million PGMs facility in South Africa, Gecamines’ expansion in the DRC, Giyani Metals’ manganese development in Botswana and FG Gold’s project in Sierra Leone. Between 2014 and 2024, AFC invested over $1 billion into Africa’s mining sector. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is also deepening its commitment, providing more than $750 million toward the Lobito Corridor, $34 million for Pensana’s Longonjo rare earths project in Angola and $3.2 million to Chillerton’s green copper development in Zambia.

    Geopolitics and African Prospects

    Geopolitical shifts are intensifying the global race for Africa’s critical minerals, vital for the energy transition and digital economy. From 2019 to 2023, companies from the United Arab Emirates committed over $110 billion to African projects. In early 2025, UAE-based Ambrosia Investment Holding acquired a 50% stake in Allied Gold’s projects in Ethiopia and Mali, investing $375 million to scale up gold production. Canadian mining investment on the continent has now surpassed $37 billion, with companies like Ivanhoe Mines, Fortuna Silver, Pioneer Lithium and Trigon Metals leading expansion efforts. Similarly, Australia’s mining footprint in Africa reached $60 billion in asset value in 2024, supported by firms such as Sovereign Metals, Cazaly Resources and Atlantic Lithium.

    Private Placements

    Private placements are emerging as a preferred capital-raising vehicle for mining ventures across Africa. Companies including Zanaga Iron Ore, Moab Minerals, Global Atomic Corporation, Premier African Minerals and Trigon Metals are leveraging this mechanism to fast-track project development and attract investor interest. As ESG criteria take center stage in investment decision-making, AMW will serve as a platform for financiers and project developers to engage on sustainability metrics, transparency and responsible investing.

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Playhouse to bring acclaimed Jazz production for festival debut

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    Playhouse to bring acclaimed Jazz production for festival debut

    24 April 2025

    The City of Derry Jazz Festival swings into town once again over the May Bank holiday with a stellar line up of talent all set to celebrate jazz in all its forms.

    The Playhouse is just one of a number of dedicated Jazz Hubs with its own festival line up, and this year the theatre is bringing a new jazz experience to audiences in the form of the intriguingly titled ‘No Citation’.

    The play is written by musician and song-writer Kyron Bourke who is a familiar face on the local Jazz circuit. Originally from Dublin, Kyron moved to Belfast in 1992, initially for three months to play in Larry’s Piano Bar, and decades later he can still be found holding court at weekends as Music Curator of the popular Bert’s Jazz Bar in the Merchant Hotel.

    The play premiered at the Lyric Theatre Belfast before a successful run in Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre, but Kyron is looking forward to bringing the production for the first time to Derry, and a new audience at Ireland’s biggest jazz celebration.

    This unique theatrical and musical event combines powerful storytelling with original jazz compositions, following the story of Jeremy d’Wolfe McCarthy, a legendary piano man facing his final judgment. Finding himself in the derelict Dimitri’s Piano Bar, McCarthy attempts to entertain with his latest songs but is haunted by ghosts from his past. As he realizes this may be his final performance, he desperately tries to set the record straight.

    Born into a theatrical and literary family in Dublin, transitioning from music to drama was a natural process for Kyron, as he revealed ahead of the festival. “My father, from a prominent theatrical family in Dublin, was an actor and my mother was an opera singer. My father‘s cousin was Brendan Behan. Basically everybody in the family either danced or acted, directed and produced plays or wrote them, so from an early age I was immersed in the process,” he reflects.

    “I had written before, mainly reviews for theatre companies that I worked for and once as a result of a bursary from the Royal Court, London. A few years ago, I wrote a play about a famous alcoholic Shakespearean actor who had died and was looking back over his life. 

    “I workshopped the play and the general consensus was that I should write about subject matter closer to my own experience. So, I took this advice on board and decided to write about a piano man who has passed over. My piano man was similar to the protagonist in the first play, except for the fact that the piano man had not really achieved a lot as far as fame was concerned. But in terms of abusing alcohol and substances he was the same and was possessed of an equally enormous ego.”

    While the show features original songs penned by Kyron, and delivered by a fabulous line up of accomplished jazz musicians, it won’t just appeal to hard core jazz fans.

    “The play has 10 or so songs and incidental music throughout but there’s also a good deal of dialogue and a compelling story line. The style of the music is jazz but in no way is it hard-core jazz. It’s a good introduction for non jazzers. For those who feel that jazz is not for them the music and songs in ‘No Citation’ would be a good starting point.”

    Over his time at Bert’s Kyron has been immersed in the local jazz scene and is seeing a new wave of talent shaking up the industry. “The scene has changed quite a lot over the past 30 years,” he explains. “The calibre of musicianship of the young musicians coming up is astonishing. I guess there’s better training in place. It’s a very a vibrant scene – very exciting. “Events like the City of Derry Jazz Festival provide an opportunity for those artists to connect with new audiences and the more jazz festivals the better as far as I am concerned. “The Derry Jazz Festival is unique because there are already superb international standard jazz musicians living in and around Derry and I imagine this ever-present core of homegrown jazz musicians drives the desire to seek out genuine jazz international acts and not just random music acts. I always feel there’s a good cross section of jazz styles at the Derry Festival, so there is something for everybody.”

    Musician, broadcaster and academic, Dr Linley Hamilton, who recently picked up an MBE for services to music, plays one of an impressive cast of characters that appear in silhouette throughout the production to take Jeremy on a musical odyssey in his final moments. Linley has worked closely with Kyron over the years and is looking forward to collaborating once again, as he explained. “Kyron is the real deal when it comes to music. He’s an amazing vocalist and a brilliant song-writer and it’s an absolute joy to work with him again on this project. He has a passion that proves that music isn’t about how you write it – it’s how you can make people feel.

    “Kyron is one of those musicians where you just press the button and he’s in a different world and he takes you along with him. As an artist he’s completely selfless in that he gives performers room to play which is unusual. He provides musicians with the opportunity to play to the maximum – it’s not about him, and that’s very rare I this industry. Here in N. Ireland there’s a very small domestic market when it comes to jazz, there are only a few dedicated venues and opportunities to perform are rare. But the way he works pays dividends because performers respond to him what you get is something completely unique and authentic.”

    The City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival is organised and funded by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from Diageo and EY. 

    You can catch ‘No Citation’ at the Playhouse on Thursday May 1st at 8pm. Tickets costing £25/Concession £22, are available at www.derryplayhouse.com

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI China: Announcement on Open Market Operations No.78 [2025]

    Source: Peoples Bank of China

    Announcement on Open Market Operations No.78 [2025]

    (Open Market Operations Office, April 24, 2025)

    The People’s Bank of China conducted reverse repo operations in the amount of RMB218 billion through quantity bidding at a fixed interest rate on April 24, 2025.

    Details of the Reverse Repo Operations

    Maturity

    Rate

    Bidding Volume

    Winning Bid Volume

    7 days

    1.50%

    RMB218 billion

    RMB218 billion

    Date of last update Nov. 29 2018

    2025年04月24日

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Project Meridian FX shows possibility of cross-border linkages for FX transactions between wholesale payment infrastructures

    Source: European Central Bank

    24 April 2024

    • Project Meridian FX proves that wholesale payment infrastructures, such as real-time gross settlement (RTGS) systems, can be interoperable via new technologies for FX transactions
    • The joint project between the Bank for International Settlements, Bank of England, Banque de France, Banca d’Italia, Deutsche Bundesbank and European Central Bank explored synchronising foreign exchange (FX) transactions
    • It demonstrated that FX transactions could be settled across jurisdictions and different types of infrastructures

    The Bank for International Settlements and its central bank partners have successfully demonstrated how wholesale payment infrastructures, such as RTGS systems, can interoperate with each other for FX transactions via new technologies.

    The project involved synchronising the settlement of FX transactions, using distributed ledger technology, so that the transfer of one leg of the transaction (such as buying a currency) happens only if the transfer of the other (such as selling another currency) occurs.

    Meridian FX sought to address some of the actions called for in the Group of 20 cross-border payments roadmap. For example, reducing foreign exchange settlement risk using payment-versus-payment transactions and establishing realistic links between the wholesale payment infrastructures of different countries. Synchronisation could also mitigate some of the liquidity risk and credit risk challenges in the foreign exchange market.

    The project connected a synthetic version of the UK RTGS system to three experimental Eurosystem interoperability solutions: DL3S (developed by the Banque de France), TIPS Hash-Link (developed by the Banca d’Italia) and the Trigger Solution (developed by the Deutsche Bundesbank).

    Combined with the results of previous work undertaken by the BIS and the Bank of England, Meridian FX shows that synchronisation can be agnostic to both the asset or fund of the transaction involved and the technology of the ledgers, highlighting its potential use in other markets.

    Insights gained from the project will inform the work programmes of the participating central banks.

    For media queries, please contact Benoit Deeg, tel.: +49 172 1683704.

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ECB publishes indicative operational calendars for 2026

    Source: European Central Bank

    24 April 2025

    • ECB publishes indicative calendars for the Eurosystem’s regular tender operations and reserve maintenance periods for 2026

    The European Central Bank (ECB) today published the indicative calendars for the Eurosystem’s regular tender operations and reserve maintenance periods in 2026.

    The indicative calendar for the Eurosystem’s reserve maintenance periods takes into account the calendar for Governing Council meetings in 2026, as well as the calendar for regular tender operations.

    The indicative calendar for the Eurosystem’s regular tender operations includes only main refinancing operations (MROs) and three-month longer-term refinancing operations (LTROs). It does not include any supplementary or ad hoc operations which may be carried out in 2026.

    Indicative calendar for reserve maintenance periods in 2026 (including maintenance period 8 of 2025):

    MP

    Relevant Governing Council meeting

    Start of maintenance period

    End of maintenance period

    Reserve base data for credit institutions reporting monthly

    Reserve base data for credit institutions reporting quarterly

    Length of the maintenance period (days)

    8

    18 December 2025

    23 December 2025

    10 February 2026

    October 2025

    September 2025

    50

    1

    5 February 2026

    11 February 2026

    24 March 2026

    December 2025

    September 2025

    42

    2

    19 March 2026

    25 March 2026

    5 May 2026

    January 2026

    December 2025

    42

    3

    30 April 2026

    6 May 2026

    16 June 2026

    March 2026

    December 2025

    42

    4

    11 June 2026

    17 June 2026

    28 July 2026

    April 2026

    March 2026

    42

    5

    23 July 2026

    29 July 2026

    15 September 2026

    May 2026

    March 2026

    49

    6

    10 September 2026

    16 September 2026

    3 November 2026

    July 2026

    June 2026

    49

    7

    29 October 2026

    4 November 2026

    22 December 2026

    September 2026

    June 2026

    49

    8

    17 December 2026

    23 December 2026

    tbd

    October 2026

    September 2026

    tbd

    For media queries, please contact Lise Handal, tel.: +49 69 1344 17441.

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Secretary-General of ASEAN delivers remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 33rd ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council Meeting in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this morning delivered remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 33rd ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting, along with The Right Honourable Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Premier of Sarawak and H.E. Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, ASCC Council Chair 2025 and Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture of Malaysia. In his remarks, SG Dr. Kao highlighted the significant role of the ASCC Strategic Plan in shaping and future-proofing the region’s socio-cultural landscape.
     
    Download the full remarks here.

    Photos credit: Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture (MOTAC) of Malaysia
    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN delivers remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 33rd ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council Meeting in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Global Banks

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Auchincloss and Senator Warren Call on SEC to Explain Legal Loophole for Trump’s Meme Coins

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jake Auchincloss (Massachusetts, 4)

    March 21, 2025

    Washington, DC – Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.-04), Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) demanding answers about a new SEC Division of Corporate Finance Staff Statement that could shield President Donald Trump’s recently launched meme coins from regulatory scrutiny. The lawmakers’ letter comes as the SEC’s Crypto Task Force hosts its first roundtable in a series purportedly designed to determine the extent of the SEC’s authority to police crypto markets for fraud and scams. 

    “[T]he U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporate Finance (Division) released a Staff Statement asserting that ‘persons who participate in the offer and sale of meme coins’ are not subject to federal securities laws. The Staff Statement comes just weeks after President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump launched their own meme coins, $TRUMP and $MELANIA, and conveniently presents a legal interpretation that could shield the President’s and First Lady’s coins from regulatory scrutiny,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    In the letter the lawmakers raise concerns about the timing and implications of this policy shift, which asserts that individuals who participate in the offer and sale of meme coins are not subject to federal securities laws. The statement, released by the agency just weeks after Donald and Melania Trump debuted their own meme coins, comes amid a broader pattern of SEC actions that benefit cryptocurrency firms at the expense of retail investors.  

    “The Staff Statement is, notably, just one of many recent SEC actions aiming to arbitrarily deregulate the cryptocurrency industry. In just the past two months, for example, the SEC has dropped ten major lawsuits and investigations against cryptocurrency platforms such as Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    The SEC Staff Statement declaring that the SEC will not enforce the law against crypto coins like President Trump’s  comes ahead of the first SEC-hosted roundtable on cryptocurrency of the Trump Administration.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI: Exor Press Release – Tender Offer Result

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO, OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

    Amsterdam, 24 April 2025

    EXOR ANNOUNCES OVERSUBSCRIBED TENDER OFFER,
    AS PART OF €1 BILLION SHARE BUYBACK PROGRAM

    Exor N.V. (“Exor” or the “Company”) announces the results of the Tender Offer set out in the Offer Memorandum published by the Company on 26 March 2025 (the “Offer Memorandum”). The Tender Offer closed at 17:40 CET on 23 April 2025.

    22,965,749 Ordinary Shares were validly tendered by Qualifying Shareholders in the Tender Offer and, following application of the scaling-down mechanism set out in the Offer Memorandum, 12,254,495 Ordinary Shares will be purchased at a price per Ordinary Share of EUR 81.6027 (the Strike Price), for a total consideration of EUR 1 billion. This represents 5.5% of the Ordinary Shares issued in the share capital of Exor. The Strike Price of the Tender Offer, determined in the manner described in the Offer Memorandum is equal to the Reference VWAP +2%.

    The aggregate value (at the Strike Price) of the Ordinary Shares validly tendered by Qualifying Shareholders at a price at or below the Strike Price (or as Strike Price Tenders) exceeded EUR 1 billion, and hence the Tender Offer is oversubscribed. Because the Tender Offer is oversubscribed, tenders will be accepted as follows, in line with the Offer Memorandum:

    • all Strike Price Tenders will be purchased in full;
    • all tenders at a price below the Strike Price (excluding Strike Price Tenders) will be purchased in full;
    • tenders at the Strike Price will be scaled down by 38.15% so that the total consideration for the Ordinary Shares purchased in the Tender Offer does not exceed EUR 1 billion; and
    • all tenders at a price higher than the Strike Price will be rejected and will not be purchased in the Tender Offer.

    The settlement of the Tender Offer is expected to take place on or around 28 April 2025.

    In accordance with the Irrevocable Undertaking by Giovanni Agnelli B.V., 6,985,062 Ordinary Shares will be purchased from Giovanni Agnelli B.V. as part of the Tender Offer. After settlement, Giovanni Agnelli B.V. will hold 114,714,169 Ordinary Shares, representing 51.9% of the Ordinary Shares issued in the share capital of the Company before the share cancellation.

    Following settlement, Exor will start the process of cancelling the 12,254,495 Ordinary Shares acquired as part of the Tender Offer and 950,000 Ordinary Shares currently held in treasury, representing 6.0% of the Ordinary Shares issued in the share capital of Exor. In addition, Exor will cancel the 6,985,062 Special Voting Shares to be retransferred to Exor in connection with the Tender Offer and 1,462,186 Special Voting Shares currently held in treasury.

    Terms used but not defined in this announcement have the meaning assigned to them in the Offer Memorandum.

    Qualifying Shareholders whose Ordinary Shares were validly tendered and accepted by the Company are still entitled to participate at the forthcoming AGM, which will be held on 22 May 2025, and cast their vote on such Ordinary Shares (and any corresponding Special Voting Shares) in the usual manner, provided that these Ordinary Shares were held in an intermediary account participating in the Euronext Securities Milan system (formerly known as Monte Titoli), or on the Company’s Loyalty Register, as applicable, on the record date.

    About Exor

    Exor N.V. (AEX: EXO) has been building great companies since its foundation by the Agnelli Family. For more than a century, Exor has made successful investments worldwide, applying a culture that combines entrepreneurial spirit and financial discipline. Its portfolio is principally made up of companies in which Exor is the largest shareholder including Ferrari, Stellantis, Philips and CNH.

    Regulated Information

    This press release contains information that qualifies as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the European Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014).

    Restrictions

    This announcement does not constitute or form part of an offer or invitation, or a solicitation of any offer or invitation, to purchase any Ordinary Shares or other securities.

    Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE (“Goldman Sachs”), which is authorised and regulated by the European Central Bank and the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Die Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht) and Deutsche Bundesbank in Germany, is acting exclusively as Dealer Manager to Exor and to no-one else in connection with the Tender Offer. Neither Goldman Sachs nor its affiliates, nor their respective partners, directors, officers, employees or agents are responsible to any other person than Exor for providing the protections afforded to clients of Goldman Sachs or for providing advice in connection with the Tender Offer.

    ING Bank N.V. (“ING“) is directly supervised by the European Central Bank as part of the Single Supervisory Mechanism and regulated by De Nederlandsche Bank and the Dutch Autoriteit Financiële Markten, and is acting as Dealer Manager and Tender Agent exclusively for Exor and for no-one else in connection with the Tender Offer and will not be responsible to any person other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to clients of ING or for providing assistance in connection with the Tender Offer.

    Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed on the Dealer Managers under their respective legal or regulatory regime: (i) none of the Dealer Managers or any persons associated or affiliated with either of them accepts any responsibility whatsoever or makes any warranty or representation, express or implied, in relation to the contents of the Offer Memorandum, including its accuracy, completeness or verification or for any other statement made or purported to be made by, or on behalf of it, Exor or the members of the Board, in connection with Exor and/or the Tender Offer; and (ii) each of the Dealer Managers accordingly disclaims, to the fullest extent permitted by law, all and any liability whatsoever, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above) which they might otherwise be found to have in respect of the Offer Memorandum or any such statement.

    Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

    This announcement includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms anticipates, believes, could, estimates, expects, intends, may, plans, projects, should or will, or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or intentions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances.

    Forward-looking statements may, and often do, differ materially from actual results. Any forward-looking statements in this announcement reflect Exor’s current view with respect to future events and are subject to risks relating to future events and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Group and its operations, results of operations, and growth strategy. Other than in accordance with its legal or regulatory obligations (including the Market Abuse Regulation and applicable stock exchange rules), Exor is not under any obligation and Exor expressly disclaims any intention or obligation (to the maximum extent permitted by law) to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Dealer Managers and Tender Agent

    Goldman Sachs and ING each act as a Dealer Manager, and together as the Dealer Managers for the Tender Offer. ING acts as Tender Agent for the Tender Offer.

    Further information

    Public announcements in connection are available on the dedicated tender offer website of the Company at https://www.exor.com/pages/investors-media/shareholders-corner/share-buyback.

    For any questions related to this announcement, please contact Exor’s Investor Relations at
    ir@exor.com or +31 (0)20 240 2 222.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Result of the Daily Variable Rate Repo (VRR) auction held on April 24, 2025

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    Tenor 1-day
    Notified Amount (in ₹ crore) 1,00,000
    Total amount of bids received (in ₹ crore) 9,634
    Amount allotted (in ₹ crore) 9,634
    Cut off Rate (%) 6.01
    Weighted Average Rate (%) 6.01
    Partial Allotment Percentage of bids received at cut off rate (%) NA

    Ajit Prasad          
    Deputy General Manager
    (Communications)    

    Press Release: 2025-2026/171

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Stakeholders acknowledge progress with Zimbabwe arrears clearance dialogue, call for more effort and support

    Source: African Development Bank Group
    International organisations, creditors, and other stakeholders in the Zimbabwe arrears clearance and debt resolution unanimously acknowledged on Monday that tremendous progress has been made after two years of an extensive Structured Dialogue process but observed several challenges that need to be addressed. 

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI: Armenian investment firm Balchug Capital confirms deal to acquire Goldman Sachs Bank in Russia has closed

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Landmark acquisition for Balchug Capital
    • Through its investment activities Balchug is supporting international investors in their divestment from Russia
    • Previous acquisitions include leading commercial real estate assets

    YEREVAN, Armenia, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Armenian investment firm Balchug Capital (“Balchug”) has confirmed that its deal to acquire OOO Goldman Sachs Bank – the Russian bank controlled by Goldman Sachs Group – has closed. It was previously announced that a sales agreement had been entered into by both parties and had received official approval. It is a landmark acquisition for the Armenian investor with total assets of approximately $2 billion.

    Under the terms of the transaction, Balchug will acquire the bank with its licence but going forward the bank will operate under a different name.

    Through its investment activities Balchug is supporting international investors in divesting from Russia in full compliance with local and international regulations. It has undertaken a number of transactions of this nature, including the acquisition of two major commercial real estate assets in Russia – Pulkovo Sky, one of the largest Class A office buildings in St Petersburg, and Metropolis shopping center, one of the largest shopping malls in Moscow.

    David Amaryan, founder and CEO of Balchug Capital, said: “I am delighted that this deal has now closed. We have worked closely with all the relevant authorities to ensure that this transaction is in full compliance with all local and international laws and sanction regulations. The bank will play a key role in our portfolio and will allow us to implement a long-term strategy that we have adopted across the regions of our operations.”

    Notes to editors:

    About Balchug Capital:
    Balchug Capital is an investment firm headquartered in Yerevan, Armenia. It was founded in 2010 by David Amaryan, who serves as CEO and oversees all investment activities.

    Media contact:
    For further information please contact:
    Lena Gyulkhasyan, Balchug Capital: l.gyulkhasyan@balchug.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Sp Mortgage Bank Plc & Savings Banks Group: Half-Year Reports for January–June 2025 will be published on 13 August 2025 

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Stock Exchange Release 
    24th of April 2025 at 8 am (CET +1) 

    Sp Mortgage Bank Plc & Savings Banks Group: Half-Year Reports for 1st of January–30th of June 2024 will be published on 13th of August 2025 as a stock exchange release and can be also found at www.saastopankki.fi.

    Sp Mortgage Bank Plc & Savings Banks Group 

    Further information: 

    Kai Koskela 
    Managing Director, Savings Banks Union Coop 
    kai.koskela@sastopankki.fi
    +358 40 549 0430  

    Sp Mortgage Bank Plc is part of the Savings Banks Group and the Savings Banks Amalgamation. The role of Sp Mortgage Bank is, together with Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc, to be responsible for obtaining funding for the Savings Banks Group from money and capital markets. Sp Mortgage Bank is responsible for the Savings Banks Group’s mortgage-secured funding by issuing covered bonds. 

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc & Savings Banks Group: Half-Year Reports January–June 2025 will be published on 13 August 2025 

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Stock Exchange Release 
    24th of April 2025 at 8 am (CET +1) 

    Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc & Savings Banks Group: Half year Reports for 1st of January–30th of June 2025 will be published on 13th of August 2025 as a stock exchange release and can be also found at www.saastopankki.fi

    Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc & Savings Banks Group 

    Further information: 

    Kai Koskela 
    Managing Director, Savings Banks Union Coop 
    kai.koskela@sastopankki.fi
    +358 40 549 0430  

    Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc is part of the Savings Banks Amalgamation and Savings Banks Group and operates as Group’s central credit institution. Central Bank of Savings Banks’ role is to ensure liquidity and wholesale funding of the Savings Banks Group via operating in the money and capital markets, issue payment cards, and provide payment transfer and account operator services.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Operation SyncHole: Lazarus APT goes back to the well

    Source: Securelist – Kaspersky

    Headline: Operation SyncHole: Lazarus APT goes back to the well

    We have been tracking the latest attack campaign by the Lazarus group since last November, as it targeted organizations in South Korea with a sophisticated combination of a watering hole strategy and vulnerability exploitation within South Korean software. The campaign, dubbed “Operation SyncHole”, has impacted at least six organizations in South Korea’s software, IT, financial, semiconductor manufacturing, and telecommunications industries, and we are confident that many more companies have actually been compromised. We immediately took action by communicating meaningful information to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KrCERT/CC) for rapid action upon detection, and we have now confirmed that the software exploited in this campaign has all been updated to patched versions.

    Timeline of the operation

    Our findings in a nutshell:

    • At least six South Korean organizations were compromised by a watering hole attack combined with exploitation of vulnerabilities by the Lazarus group.
    • A one-day vulnerability in Innorix Agent was also used for lateral movement.
    • Variants of Lazarus’ malicious tools, such as ThreatNeedle, Agamemnon downloader, wAgent, SIGNBT, and COPPERHEDGE, were discovered with new features.

    Background

    The initial infection was discovered in November of last year when we detected a variant of the ThreatNeedle backdoor, one of the Lazarus group’s flagship malicious tools, used against a South Korean software company. We found that the malware was running in the memory of a legitimate SyncHost.exe process, and was created as a subprocess of Cross EX, legitimate software developed in South Korea. This potentially was the starting point for the compromise of further five organizations in South Korea. Additionally, according to a recent security advisory posted on the KrCERT website, there appear to be recently patched vulnerabilities in Cross EX, which were addressed during the timeframe of our research.

    In the South Korean internet environment, the online banking and government websites require the installation of particular security software to support functions such as anti-keylogging and certificate-based digital signatures. However, due to the nature of these software packages, they constantly run in the background to interact with the browser. The Lazarus group shows a strong grasp of these specifics and is using a South Korea-targeted strategy that combines vulnerabilities in such software with watering hole attacks. The South Korean National Cyber Security Center published its own security advisory in 2023 against such incidents, and also published additional joint security advisories in cooperation with the UK government.

    Cross EX is designed to enable the use of such security software in various browser environments, and is executed with user-level privileges except immediately after installation. Although the exact method by which Cross EX was exploited to deliver malware remains unclear, we believe that the attackers escalated their privileges during the exploitation process as we confirmed the process was executed with high integrity level in most cases. The facts below led us to conclude that a vulnerability in the Cross EX software was most likely leveraged in this operation.

    • The most recent version of Cross EX at the time of the incidents was installed on the infected PCs.
    • Execution chains originating from the Cross EX process that we observed across the targeted organizations were all identical.
    • The incidents that saw the Synchost process abused to inject malware were concentrated within a short period of time: between November 2024 and February 2025.

    In the earliest attack of this operation, the Lazarus group also exploited another South Korean software product, Innorix Agent, leveraging a vulnerability to facilitate lateral movement, enabling the installation of additional malware on a targeted host of their choice. They even developed malware to exploit this, avoiding repetitive tasks and streamlining processes. The exploited software, Innorix Agent (version 9.2.18.450 and earlier), was previously abused by the Andariel group, while the malware we obtained targeted the more recent version 9.2.18.496.

    While analyzing the malware’s behavior, we discovered an additional arbitrary file download zero-day vulnerability in Innorix Agent, which we managed to detect before any threat actors used it in their attacks. We reported the issues to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KrCERT) and the vendor. The software has since been updated with patched versions.

    Installing malware through vulnerabilities in software exclusively developed in South Korea is a key part of the Lazarus group’s strategy to target South Korean entities, and we previously disclosed a similar case in 2023, as did ESET and KrCERT.

    Initial vector

    The infection began when the user of a targeted system accessed several South Korean online media sites. Shortly after visiting one particular site, the machine was compromised by the ThreatNeedle malware, suggesting that the site played a key role in the initial delivery of the backdoor. During the analysis, it was discovered that the infected system was communicating with a suspicious IP address. Further examination revealed that this IP hosted two domains (T1583.001), both of which appeared to be hastily created car rental websites using publicly available HTML templates.

    Appearance of www.smartmanagerex[.]com

    The first domain, www.smartmanagerex[.]com, seemed to be masquerading as software provided by the same vendor that distributes Cross EX. Based on these findings, we reconstructed the following attack scenario.

    Attack flow during initial compromise

    Given that online media sites are typically visited quite frequently by a wealth of users, the Lazarus group filters visitors with a server-side script and redirects desired targets to an attacker-controlled website (T1608.004). We assess with medium confidence that the redirected site may have executed a malicious script (T1189), targeting a potential flaw in Cross EX (T1190) installed on the target PC, and launching malware. The script then ultimately executed the legitimate SyncHost.exe and injected a shellcode that loaded a variant of ThreatNeedle into that process. This chain, which ends with the malware being injected into SyncHost.exe, was common to all of the affected organizations we identified, meaning that the Lazarus group has conducted extensive operations against South Korea over the past few months with the same vulnerability and the same exploit.

    Execution flow

    We have divided this operation into two phases based on the malware used. The first phase focused primarily on the execution chain involving ThreatNeedle and wAgent. It was then followed by the second phase which involved the use of SIGNBT and COPPERHEDGE.

    We derived a total of four different malware execution chains based on these phases from at least six affected organizations. In the first infection case, we found a variant of the ThreatNeedle malware, but in subsequent attacks, the SIGNBT malware took its place, thus launching the second phase. We believe this is due to the quick and aggressive action we took with the first victim. In subsequent attacks, the Lazarus group introduced three updated infection chains including SIGNBT, and we observed a wider range of targets and more frequent attacks. This suggests that the group may have realized that their carefully prepared attacks had been exposed, and extensively leveraged the vulnerability from then on.

    Chains of infection across the operation

    First-phase malware

    In the first infection chain, many updated versions of the malware previously used by the Lazarus group were used.

    Variant of ThreatNeedle

    The ThreatNeedle sample used in this campaign was also referred to as “ThreatNeedleTea” in a research paper published by ESET; we believe this is an updated version of the early ThreatNeedle. However, the ThreatNeedle seen in this attack had been modified with additional features.

    This version of ThreatNeedle is divided into a Loader and Core samples. The Core version retrieves five configuration files from C_27098.NLS to C_27102.NLS, and contains a total of 37 commands. The Loader version, meanwhile, references only two configuration files and implements only four commands.

    The Core component receives a specific command from the C2, resulting in an additional loader file being created for the purpose of persistence. This file can be disguised as the ServiceDLL value of a legitimate service in the netsvcs group (T1543.003), the IKEEXT service (T1574.001), or registered as a Security Service Provider (SSP) (T1547.005). It ultimately loads the ThreatNeedle Loader component.

    Behavior flow to load ThreatNeedle Loader by target service

    The updated ThreatNeedle generates a random key pair based on the Curve25519 algorithm (T1573.002), sends the public key to the C2 server, and then receives the attacker’s public key. Finally, the generated private key and the attacker’s public key are scalar-operated to create a shared key, which is then used as the key for the ChaCha20 algorithm to encrypt the data (T1573.001). The data is sent and received in JSON format.

    LPEClient

    LPEClient is a tool known for victim profiling and payload delivery (T1105) that has previously been observed in attacks on defense contractors and the cryptocurrency industry. We disclosed that this tool had been loaded by SIGNBT when we first documented SIGNBT malware. However, we did not observe LPEClient being loaded by SIGNBT in this campaign. It was only loaded by the variant of ThreatNeedle.

    Variant of wAgent

    In addition to the variant of ThreatNeedle, a variant of the wAgent malware was also discovered in the first affected organization. wAgent is a malicious tool that we documented in 2020, and a similar version was mentioned in Operation GoldGoblin by KrCERT. The origin of its creation is still shrouded in mystery, but we discovered that the wAgent loader was disguised as liblzma.dll and executed via the command line rundll32.exe c:Programdataintelutil.dat, afunix 1W2UUEZNOB99Z (T1218.011). The export function retrieves the given filename 1W2UUEZNOB99Z in C:ProgramData, which also serves as the decryption key. After converting this filename into wide bytes, it uses the highest 16 bytes of the resulting value as the key for the AES-128-CBC algorithm and decrypts (T1140) the contents of the file located in C:ProgramData (T1027.013). The upper four bytes of the decrypted data subsequently represent the size of the payload (T1027.009), which we identified as an updated version of the wAgent malware.

    The variant of wAgent has the ability to receive data in both form-data and JSON formats, depending on the C2 server it succeeds in reaching. Notably, it includes the __Hostnextauthtoken key within the Cookie field in the request header during the communication (T1071.001), carrying the sequence of communication appended by random digits. In this version, the new observed change is that an open-source GNU Multiple-Precision (GMP) library is employed to carry out RSA encryption computations, which is a previously unseen library in malware used by the Lazarus group. According to the wAgent configuration file, it is identified as the x64_2.1 version. This version manages payloads using a C++ STL map, with emphasis on receiving additional payloads from the C2 and loading them directly into memory, along with creating a shared object. With this object, the main module is able to exchange command parameters and execution results with the delivered plugins.

    Operational structure of the wAgent variant

    Variant of the Agamemnon downloader

    The Agamemnon downloader is also responsible for downloading and executing additional payloads received from the C2 server. Although we did not obtain the configuration file of Agamemnon, it receives commands from the C2 and executes the payload by parsing the commands and parameters based on ;; characters, which serve as command and parameter delimiters. The value of the mode in response passed with a 2 command determines how to execute the additional payload, which is delivered along with a 3 command. There are two methods of execution: the first one is to load the payload reflectively (T1620), which is commonly used in malware, whereas the second one is to utilize the open-source Tartarus-TpAllocInject technique, which we have not previously seen in malware from the Lazarus group.

    Structure of the commands where additional data is passed

    The open-source loader is built on top of another open-source loader named Tartarus’ Gate. Tartarus’ Gate is based on Halo’s Gate, which is in turn based on Hell’s Gate. All of these techniques are designed to bypass security products such as antivirus and EDR solutions, but they load the payload in different ways.

    Innorix Agent exploit for lateral movement

    Unlike the previously mentioned tools, the Innorix abuser is used for lateral movement. It is downloaded by the Agamemnon downloader (T1105) and exploits a specific version of a file transfer software tool developed in South Korea, Innorix Agent, to fetch additional malware on internal hosts (T1570). Innorix Agent is another software product that is mandatory for some financial and administrative tasks in the South Korean internet environment, meaning that it is likely to be installed on many PCs of both corporations and individuals in South Korea, and any user with a vulnerable version is potentially a target. The malware embeds a license key allegedly bound to version 9.2.18.496, which allows it to perform lateral movement by generating malicious traffic disguised as legitimate traffic against targeted network PCs.

    The Innorix abuser is given parameters from the Agamemnon downloader: the target IP, URL to download a file, and file size. It then delivers a request to that target IP to check if Innorix Agent is installed and running. If a successful response is returned, the malware assumes that the software is running properly on the targeted host and transmits traffic that allows the target to download the additional files from the given URL due to a lack of traffic validation.

    Steps to deploy additional malware via the Innorix abuser

    The actor created a legitimate AppVShNotify.exe and a malicious USERENV.dll file in the same path via the Innorix abuser, and then executed the former using a legitimate feature of the software. The USERENV.dll was sideloaded (T1574.002) as a result, which ultimately led to the execution of ThreatNeedle and LPEClient on the targeted hosts, thus launching the infection chain on previously unaffected machines.

    We reported this vulnerability to KrCERT due to the potentially dangerous impact of the Innorix abuser, but were informed that the vulnerability has been exploited and reported in the past. We have confirmed that this malware does not work effectively in environments with Innorix Agent versions other than 9.2.18.496.

    In addition, while digging into the malware’s behavior, we identified another additional arbitrary file download vulnerability that applies to versions up to 9.2.18.538. It is tracked as KVE-2025-0014 and we have not yet found any evidence of its use in the wild. KVE is a vulnerability identification number issued exclusively by KrCERT. We successfully contacted Innorix to share our findings containing the vulnerabilities via KrCERT, and they managed to release a patched version in March with both vulnerabilities fixed.

    Second phase malware

    The second phase of the operation also introduces newer versions of malicious tools previously seen in Lazarus attacks.

    SIGNBT

    The SIGNBT we documented in 2023 was version 1.0, but in this attack, version 0.0.1 was used at the forefront. In addition, we identified a more recent version, SIGNBT 1.2. Unlike versions 1.0 and 0.0.1, the 1.2 version had minimal remote control capabilities and was focused on executing additional payloads. The malware developers named this version “Hijacking”.

    In the second phase of this operation, SIGNBT 0.0.1 was the initial implant executed in memory in SyncHost.exe to fetch additional malware. In this version, the C2 server was hardcoded without reference to any configuration files. During this investigation, we found a credential dumping tool that was fetched by SIGNBT 0.0.1, identical to what we have seen in previous attacks.

    As for version 1.2, it fetches the path to the configuration file from its resources and retrieves the file to obtain C2 server addresses. We were able to extract two configuration file paths from each identified SIGNBT 1.2 sample, which are shown below. Another change in SIGNBT 1.2 is that the number of prefixes starting with SIGN are reduced to only three: SIGNBTLG, SIGNBTRC, and SIGNBTSR. The malware receives an RSA public key from the C2 and encrypts a randomly generated AES key using the public key. All traffic is encrypted with the generated AES key.

    • Configuration file path 1: C:ProgramDataSamsungSamsungSettingssettings.dat
    • Configuration file path 2: C:ProgramDataMicrosoftDRMServerdrm.ver

    COPPERHEDGE

    COPPERHEDGE is a malicious tool that was named by US-CERT in 2020. It is a Manuscrypt variant and was primarily used in the DeathNote cluster attacks. Unlike the other malware used in this operation, COPPERHEDGE has not changed dramatically, with only several commands being slightly changed compared to the older versions. This version, however, retrieves configuration information such as the C2 server address from the ADS %appdata%MicrosoftInternet Explorerbrndlog.txt:loginfo (T1564.004). The malware then sends HTTP traffic to C2 with three or four parameters for each request, where the parameter name is chosen randomly out of three names in any order.

    • First HTTP parameter name: bih, aqs, org
    • Second HTTP parameter name: wib, rlz, uid
    • Third HTTP parameter name: tib, hash, lang
    • Fourth HTTP parameter name: ei, ie, oq

    The actor primarily used the COPPERHEDGE malware to conduct internal reconnaissance in this operation. There are a total of 30 commands from 0x2003 to 0x2032, and 11 response codes from 0x2040 to 0x2050 inside the COPPERHEDGE backdoor.

    The evolution of Lazarus malware

    In recent years, the malware used by the Lazarus group has been rapidly evolving to include lightweighting and modularization. This applies not only to newly added tools, but also to malware that has been used in the past. We have observed such changes for a few years, and we believe there are more on the way.

    Use of asymmetric encryption Load plugins Divided into core and loader version
    MISTPEN O
    CookiePlus O (RSA) O
    ThreatNeedle O (Curve25519) O O
    wAgent (downloader) O (RSA) O
    Agamemnon downloader
    SIGNBT O (RSA) O O
    COPPERHEDGE O (RSA) O

    Discoveries

    During our investigation into this campaign, we gained extensive insight into the Lazarus group’s post-exploitation strategy. After installing the COPPERHEDGE malware, the actor executed numerous Windows commands to gather basic system information (T1082, T1083, T1057, T1049, T1016, T1087.001), create a malicious service (T1569.002, T1007) and attempt to find valuable hosts to perform lateral movement (T1087.002, T1135).

    While analyzing the commands executed by the actor, we were able to identify the actor’s mistake when using the taskkill command: the /im parameter when using taskkill means imagename, which should specify the image name of the process, not the process id. This shows that the actor is still performing internal reconnaissance by manually entering commands.

    Infrastructure

    Throughout this operation, most of the C2 servers were legitimate but compromised websites in South Korea (T1584.001), further indicating that this operation was highly focused on South Korea. In the first phase, other media sites were utilized as C2 servers to avoid detection of media-initiated watering hole attacks. However, as the infection chain turned to the second phase, legitimate sites in various other industries were additionally exploited.

    Unlike other cases, LPEClient’s C2 server was hosted by the same hosting company as www.smartmanagerex[.]com, which was deliberately created for initial compromise. Given that LPEClient is heavily relied upon by the Lazarus group for delivering additional payloads, it is likely that the attackers deliberately rented and configured the server (T1583.003), assigning a domain under their control to maintain full operational flexibility. In addition to this, we also found that two domains that were exploited as C2 servers for SIGNBT 0.0.1 resolved to the same hosting company’s IP range.

    We confirmed that the domain thekportal[.]com belonged to a South Korean ISP until 2020 and was the legitimate domain of an insurance company that was acquired by another company. Since then, the domain had been parked and its status was changed in February 2025, indicating that the Lazarus group re-registered the domain to leverage it in this operation.

    Attribution

    Throughout this campaign, several malware samples were used that we managed to attribute to the Lazarus group through our ongoing and dedicated research conducted for a long time. Our attribution is supported by the historical use of the malware strains, as well as their TTPs, all of which have been well documented by numerous security solutions vendors and governments. Furthermore, we have analyzed the execution time of the Windows commands delivered by the COPPERHEDGE malware, the build timestamps of all malicious samples we described above, and the time of initial compromise per host, demonstrating that the timeframes were mostly concentrated between GMT 00:00 and 09:00. Based on our knowledge of normal working hours in various time zones, we can infer that the actor is located in the GMT+09 time zone.

    Timeline of malicious activity

    Victims

    We identified at least six software, IT, financial, semiconductor manufacturing and telecommunication organizations in South Korea that fell victim to “Operation SyncHole”. However, we are confident that there are many more affected organizations across a broader range of industries, given the popularity of the software exploited by Lazarus in this campaign.

    Conclusion

    This is not the first time that the Lazarus group exploited supply chains with a full understanding of the software ecosystem in South Korea. We have already described similar attacks in our analysis reports on the Bookcode cluster in 2020, the DeathNote cluster in 2022, and the SIGNBT malware in 2023. All of these cases targeted software developed by South Korean vendors that required installation for online banking and government services. Both of the software products exploited in this case are in line with past cases, meaning that the Lazarus group is endlessly adopting an effective strategy based on cascading supply chain attacks.

    The Lazarus group’s specialized attacks targeting supply chains in South Korea are expected to continue in the future. Our research over the past few years provided evidence that many software development vendors in Korea have already been attacked, and if the source code of a product has been compromised, other zero-day vulnerabilities may continue to be discovered. The attackers are also making efforts to minimize detection by developing new malware or enhancing existing malware. In particular, they introduce enhancements to the communication with the C2, command structure, and the way they send and receive data.

    We have proven that accurate detection and quick response can effectively deter their tactics, and in the meantime, we were able to remediate vulnerabilities and mitigate attacks to minimize damage. We will continue to monitor the activity of this group and remain agile in responding to their changes. We also recommend using reliable security solutions to stay alert and mitigate potential risks. Our product line for businesses helps identify and prevent attacks of any complexity at an early stage.

    Kaspersky products detect the exploits and malware used in this attack with the following verdicts: Trojan.Win64.Lazarus.*, Trojan.Win32.Lazarus.*, MEM:Trojan.Win32.Cometer.gen, MEM:Trojan.Win32.SEPEH.gen, Trojan.Win32.Manuscrypt.*, Trojan.Win64.Manuscrypt.*, Trojan.Win32.Zenpak.*.

    Indicators of Compromise

    More IoCs are available to customers of the Kaspersky Intelligence Reporting Service. Contact: intelreports@kaspersky.com.

    Variant of the ThreatNeedle loader
    f1bcb4c5aa35220757d09fc5feea193b C:System32PCAuditex.dll

    Variant of the wAgent loader
    dc0e17879d66ea9409cdf679bfea388c C:ProgramDataintelutil.dat

    COPPERHEDGE dropper
    2d47ef0089010d9b699cd1bbbc66f10a %AppData%hnc_net.tmp

    C2 servers
    www[.]smartmanagerex[.]com
    hxxps://thek-portal[.]com/eng/career/index.asp
    hxxps://builsf[.]com/inc/left.php
    hxxps://www[.]rsdf[.]kr/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/index.php
    hxxp://www[.]shcpump[.]com/admin/form/skin/formBasic/style.php
    hxxps://htns[.]com/eng/skin/member/basic/skin.php
    hxxps://kadsm[.]org/skin/board/basic/write_comment_skin.php
    hxxp://bluekostec[.]com/eng/community/write.asp
    hxxp://dream.bluit.gethompy[.]com/mobile/skin/board/gallery/index.skin.php

    MIL OSI Global Banks

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Sales, Production, and Export Results for March 2025

    Source: Toyota

    Headline: Sales, Production, and Export Results for March 2025

    Toyota Motor Corporation announces its sales, production, and export results for March 2025 as well as the cumulative total from January to March 2025, and the fiscal year from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, including those for subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. and Hino Motors, Ltd.

    MIL OSI Global Banks

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Money Market Operations as on April 23, 2025

    Source: Reserve Bank of India


    (Amount in ₹ crore, Rate in Per cent)

      Volume
    (One Leg)
    Weighted
    Average Rate
    Range
    A. Overnight Segment (I+II+III+IV) 6,17,832.68 5.87 4.51-6.75
         I. Call Money 16,433.95 5.91 5.00-6.05
         II. Triparty Repo 4,23,148.05 5.83 5.62-6.50
         III. Market Repo 1,76,708.68 5.97 4.51-6.75
         IV. Repo in Corporate Bond 1,542.00 6.20 6.19-6.25
    B. Term Segment      
         I. Notice Money** 163.20 5.70 5.50-5.90
         II. Term Money@@ 1,204.00 5.75-6.20
         III. Triparty Repo 3,160.00 5.90 5.80-6.15
         IV. Market Repo 75.00 5.00 5.00-5.00
         V. Repo in Corporate Bond 0.00
      Auction Date Tenor (Days) Maturity Date Amount Current Rate /
    Cut off Rate
    C. Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) & Standing Deposit Facility (SDF)
    I. Today’s Operations
    1. Fixed Rate          
    2. Variable Rate&          
      (I) Main Operation          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (II) Fine Tuning Operations          
         (a) Repo Wed, 23/04/2025 1 Thu, 24/04/2025 18,872.00 6.01
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (III) Long Term Operations^          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
    3. MSF# Wed, 23/04/2025 1 Thu, 24/04/2025 304.00 6.25
    4. SDFΔ# Wed, 23/04/2025 1 Thu, 24/04/2025 1,33,629.00 5.75
    5. Net liquidity injected from today’s operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*       -1,14,453.00  
    II. Outstanding Operations
    1. Fixed Rate          
    2. Variable Rate&          
      (I) Main Operation          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (II) Fine Tuning Operations          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (III) Long Term Operations^          
         (a) Repo Thu, 17/04/2025 43 Fri, 30/05/2025 25,731.00 6.01
         (b) Reverse Repo          
    3. MSF#          
    4. SDFΔ#          
    D. Standing Liquidity Facility (SLF) Availed from RBI$       10,031.22  
    E. Net liquidity injected from outstanding operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*     35,762.22  
    F. Net liquidity injected (outstanding including today’s operations) [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*     -78,690.78  
    G. Cash Reserves Position of Scheduled Commercial Banks
         (i) Cash balances with RBI as on April 23, 2025 9,61,528.98  
         (ii) Average daily cash reserve requirement for the fortnight ending May 02, 2025 9,51,938.00  
    H. Government of India Surplus Cash Balance Reckoned for Auction as on¥ April 23, 2025 18,872.00  
    I. Net durable liquidity [surplus (+)/deficit (-)] as on April 04, 2025 2,36,088.00  
    @ Based on Reserve Bank of India (RBI) / Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL).
    – Not Applicable / No Transaction.
    ** Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 2 to 14 days tenor.
    @@ Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 15 days to one year tenor.
    $ Includes refinance facilities extended by RBI.
    & As per the Press Release No. 2019-2020/1900 dated February 06, 2020.
    Δ As per the Press Release No. 2022-2023/41 dated April 08, 2022.
    * Net liquidity is calculated as Repo+MSF+SLF-Reverse Repo-SDF.
    ¥ As per the Press Release No. 2014-2015/1971 dated March 19, 2015.
    # As per the Press Release No. 2023-2024/1548 dated December 27, 2023.
    ^ As per the Press Release No. 2025-2026/91 dated April 11, 2025.
    Ajit Prasad          
    Deputy General Manager
    (Communications)    
    Press Release: 2025-2026/169

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Executive Director Of Non-Profit Serving Oakland Youth Pleads Guilty To Embezzling Over $500,000 From Organization

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OAKLAND – Howard Solomon, also known as Solomon Howard, pleaded guilty today to one count of mail fraud and one count of tax evasion in connection with embezzling from his former employer, the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), a non-profit organization that serves low-income youth in East Oakland neighborhoods and communities through a variety of programming, including after-school boxing lessons.

    Solomon, 38, of Oakland, Calif., who served as the Executive Director of EOBA from late 2016 until 2021, was charged by information in February 2025.  In pleading guilty, Solomon admitted to a multi-year mail fraud scheme in which he embezzled at least $549,000 from his former employer.  

    According to court documents and the plea agreement, after being added in September 2016 as an authorized signatory on EOBA bank accounts at Wells Fargo Bank, Solomon transferred EOBA funds out of the Wells Fargo accounts into accounts he controlled at other banking institutions.  He also deposited charitable contributions to EOBA into the accounts he controlled, some of which were business accounts and others of which were his personal accounts.  Solomon acknowledged that he took these actions without informing or seeking authority from EOBA board members or any other person affiliated with EOBA.

    As one example, Solomon admitted that he deposited into a personal account a $50,000 donation that EOBA received in October 2019.  The $50,000 donation was made to EOBA in connection with a December 2019 appearance by Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry on the Ellen DeGeneres Show for a segment known as “Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways,” during which the Currys delivered various gifts to EOBA, including a $50,000 check from the show.  

    Solomon used the embezzled funds and donations to pay for personal expenses that had no connection to his job, including vacation expenses, a Ford Explorer, and Amazon purchases for personal use.  

    Solomon also admitted to tax evasion by failing to disclose the money he embezzled from EOBA as income and misstating expenses associated with two alleged businesses that Solomon claimed lost money on his tax filings for the years 2017 through 2021.  In total, Solomon caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $287,185.

    Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge of the Oakland Field Office Linda Nguyen made the announcement.

    Solomon’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 14, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.  He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain of the fraud, and restitution of at least $549,132 to the East Oakland Boxing Association for the mail fraud count under 18 U.S.C. § 1341, and five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and restitution of at least $287,185 to the IRS for the tax evasion count under 26 U.S.C. § 7201.  Any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas R. Green is prosecuting this case with the assistance of Amala James and Alycee Lane.  This prosecution is the result of an investigation by IRS-CI.
     

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Staff Reaches Staff Level Agreement with Armenia on the Fifth Review of the Stand-By Arrangement

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    April 23, 2025

    End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    • IMF staff and the Armenian authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on the fifth review under the 3-year Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), which the Armenian authorities treat as precautionary. The SBA aims to support the government’s policy and reform agenda to maintain macroeconomic stability and foster sustainable and inclusive growth.
    • Economic activity remains strong. GDP growth reached 5.9 percent in 2024 and is expected to decelerate to 4.5 percent in 2025 as external growth drivers continue to taper off amid higher global uncertainty.
    • Policy priorities include enhancing economic resilience, further mobilizing tax revenues and prioritizing spending to maintain a moderate debt level, strengthening institutional frameworks, and continuing structural reforms to boost labor productivity, enhance trade diversification, and improve the overall business environment.

    Washington, DC: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Iva Petrova visited Yerevan from March 31 to April 10, 2025, to conduct discussions for the fifth review under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with Armenia. At the conclusion of the discussions, Ms. Petrova issued the following statement:

    “I am pleased to announce that the IMF team and the Armenian authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on policies for the completion of the fifth review under the three-year SBA, which supports Armenia’s economic reform program. The agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board, scheduled to consider this review in June. This approval would enable access of about US$ 25.0 million (SDR 18.4 million), bringing total access to about US$ 149.9 million (SDR 110.4 million) since the SBA’s inception.

    “Armenia’s economic activity remains robust, with real GDP growth of 5.9 percent in 2024, driven by robust consumption and investment. Employment growth has been steady, and inflation remains subdued, gradually picking up to 3.3 percent year-on-year in March 2025 in line with expectations. The current account deficit widened somewhat to 3.9 percent of GDP in 2024 as inflows from trade, tourism, and remittances continue to decelerate. The 2024 fiscal deficit was limited at 3.7 percent of GDP, keeping central government debt moderate at 48.3 percent of GDP. The banking system has high profitability and strong capital and liquidity buffers.

    “Real GDP growth is expected to remain generally strong but return to its potential of 4.5 percent in 2025 as trade and services normalize. Inflation is expected to remain around the Central Bank of Armenia’s (CBA) target by end-2025. Risks to this outlook stem from the unprecedented uncertainty related to the ongoing global trade tensions and potential slowdown in the growth of trading partners. Regional geopolitical shifts, which could lead to a reversal of recent capital inflows and FX volatility, also weigh on the outlook.

    The authorities’ upcoming medium-term expenditure framework aims to preserve macro-fiscal stability while supporting Armenia’s development needs. In this context, the 2025 budget deficit target of 5.5 percent of GDP remains appropriate, accommodating priority spending needs, including national security, refugee integration, and infrastructure development. However, with rising spending pressures, creating fiscal space while ensuring a gradual fiscal consolidation, would require careful expenditure prioritization, implementation of recently introduced tax policies and further revenue administration efforts. Reforms to strengthen medium-term fiscal planning, enhance public financial management—including through robust fiscal risk management, transparency, and governance—and bolster the public investment management framework remain critical to support fiscal sustainability.

    “Amid subdued inflationary pressures and anchored inflation expectations, the current monetary policy stance is appropriate. In view of the significant uncertainty, the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) should continue to monitor closely economic developments and inflation expectations and stand ready to adjust policy rates if inflation expectations drift away from target. The flexible exchange rate remains a key shock absorber, and the authorities’ commitment to maintaining healthy international reserve buffers is welcome. The CBA continues to monitor vigilantly financial sector risks and to upgrade its supervisory toolkit and capacity.

    “Structural reform efforts should continue to strengthen economic resilience and foster inclusive growth. The authorities’ plans to boost labor force participation among vulnerable populations, encourage diversification in the country’s export basket and markets, and improve corporate transparency and access to finance are welcome. Achieving these objectives requires timely and effective implementation of the employment and export strategies, prioritizing governance reforms, and upgrading the insolvency framework to support quality investments.

    “The IMF team thanks the Armenian authorities, private sector, development partners, and the diplomatic community for fruitful discussions and cooperation.”

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Wafa Amr

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/04/24/pr25121-armenia-imf-staff-reaches-staff-level-agreement-fifth-review-stand-by-arrangement

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Better compensation for scam victims

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Banks have responded to the Government’s expectation to better protect Kiwi consumers from scams by introducing stronger safeguards and a compensation scheme, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson says.
    “New commitments from banks mean that if a bank fails to adequately warn and protect a consumer from a scam, they will reimburse the victim up to $500,000,” Mr Simpson says.
    “This is an important win for bank customers, who have been advocating for some time for better recognition from banks of the role they play as the final gate between a consumer and a scammer.
    “Last year the Government wrote to banks outlining our expectation that banks take greater responsibility for protecting Kiwi consumers. I am pleased that banks have responded to this directive and are updating their Code of Banking Practice with five new commitments to better protect customers, including pre-transaction warnings and identification of high-risk transactions. 
    “Banks will also take a more active role in preventing scams, by participating in information sharing agreements across industry and government and educating people. Stopping scams before they happen is the best strategy.
    “Online scams cause immense harm to our wider economy, as consumers lose confidence transacting online. The fear generated by scams runs directly counter to efforts to digitise our economy. 
    “While people still need to remain vigilant and take responsibility for their own online safety, these changes will enable consumers to check a payment is legitimate before transferring money.
    “I have been clear with banks that the journey doesn’t stop here. I expect banks to continue to prioritise security and adapt to the ever-evolving scams environment. 
    “I have made similar expectations clear to telecommunications companies and digital platforms and look forward to progressing a cross-industry approach with them.
    “Improving the safety and ease of doing business is part of our plan to grow the economy.”
    Notes to editors:
    The five commitments introduced to the New Zealand Banking Associate Code of Banking Practice include:

    a Confirmation of Payee service for customers to check that the name of the person they are paying matches the account number, which has already commenced roll-out
    pre-transaction warnings to consumers based on the payment purpose
    identification of and response to high-risk transactions or unusual account transaction activity, and the ability to block or delay transactions in some cases
    providing a 24/7 reporting channel for customers who think they’ve been scammed, and responding to protect accounts
    sharing scammer account information with other banks to help prevent criminal activity, and freezing funds where appropriate

    The updated Code comes into force on 30 November 2025. This is to allow the banks time to get all the protections in place.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Real Estate – National market turning a corner as listings surge and buyer confidence builds

    Source: Raine & Horne

    Highlights

    • Raine & Horne recorded a significant rise in listings and buyer activity in March 2025 across the country, signalling a strong property market rebound aligned with national price growth trends.
    • Affordable prices, infrastructure investment, and coastal lifestyle appeal are driving renewed interest from both first-home buyers and investors, especially in Southland and Christchurch.
    • Falling interest rates and more realistic vendor expectations have created a sweet spot for buyers, with quality homes around $850,000 in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui drawing strong demand.

    Wellington, NZ (24 April 2025) The national property market is showing clear signs of recovery, with a significant uplift in listing activity and buyer engagement recorded by leading real estate network Raine & Horne.

    New data reveals that Raine & Horne listings rose by 49% in March 2025 compared to December 2024, while open for inspections jumped by 175% over the same period. The uptick aligns with national trends, with CoreLogic reporting a +0.5% increase in property values in March, building on a +0.4% lift in February.

    Angus Raine, Executive Chairman of Raine & Horne, said the renewed momentum reflects improving market sentiment, buoyed by earlier interest rate cuts and increased brand awareness.

    “We’re pleased to see the property upturn beginning to take shape. The effects of OCR reductions always take time to filter through fully, but we’re starting to see confidence return,” Mr Raine said.

    “While demand remains patchy across some regional and metropolitan areas, that’s to be expected in a recovering economy. The encouraging consensus is that residential property values are likely to rise by around 5% nationally this year, fuelled by more affordable finance and steady buyer demand.”

    The return of investors is a big plus for Southland real estate

    On the ground, Raine & Horne Southland Franchise Owner Sheree Williams confirmed that market activity is building strongly.

    “Things are really starting to gain momentum here. Southland always moves to the beat of its own drum, and in the past few weeks we’ve definitely seen a noticeable upswing,” Mrs Williams said.

    “There are more buyers actively looking, and importantly, we’re also seeing a strong return of investors to the market.”

    Recent interest rate cuts are having an impact. “First-home buyers have remained a constant presence, but now investors are coming back with renewed confidence,” Mrs Williams said.

    For instance, Mrs Williams noted that a solid three-bedroom home at 586 Tay Street, Hawthorndale[i], is generating strong interest from both investors and first-home buyers. “With the potential to earn approximately $500 per week in rent, it’s a smart option for savvy investors,” she said.

    “However, it’s not all about investors. In many cases, first-home buyers are coming out ahead,” Mrs Williams added. “They’re more informed than ever, they know how to prepare financially, what steps to take, and how to position themselves competitively. So when it comes to going up against investors, they’re holding their own more than ever before.”

    As for what’s attracting buyers to Southland, Mrs Williams said: “It’s definitely our affordability, hands down.

    “Southland remains one of the most affordable regions in the country, which is a huge drawcard. But it’s not just the price point, there’s a lot happening here.

    “We’ve got exciting new infrastructure projects underway that are drawing interest from outside the region. Combined with strong local employment across key industries such as healthcare, agriculture, and education, and an unbeatable lifestyle, it’s giving people real confidence to make the move and invest in Southland.”

    Christchurch attracts buyers chasing coastal lifestyle and “bang for buck”

    In Christchurch, Nick McIsaac-Luke, Franchise Owner at Raine & Horne Parklands, New Brighton, Shirley, Burwood, and Marshland, said the local property market has remained relatively steady. “We’ve seen a bit of a dip over the past couple of years, but right now, things are looking pretty solid,” he said.

    Commenting on what’s driving demand, Mr McIsaac-Luke added, “I’m seeing more people from the North Island realising how good it is down here. Even people from the lower South Island are making the move. Everyone’s cottoning on to the fact you can get wicked bang for buck in Christchurch — you can live by the beach for under a million.”

    To illustrate, Mr McIsaac-Luke and business partner Tina Lawson recently sold a stunning and spacious four-bedroom house at 1 Iti Place, Parklands. “This is a fantastic house that sold within four and a half weeks for $975,000.

    Mr McIsaac-Luke said Parklands is proving especially popular with lifestyle seekers. “It’s probably one of the top spots right now for people wanting that laid-back lifestyle. We’re right on the edge of the forest, and the beach is just five minutes away — seven at a push.

    “In Auckland or Wellington, this would literally be a $1.8 million house — maybe more,” Mr McIsaac-Luke said. “We’re seeing buyers from those cities thinking, ‘We’re sitting on a $2 million home — let’s sell up, move to Christchurch, get relocated by our employer or work remotely, buy a million-dollar mansion, and still have money left in the bank or buying a rental or two on the side.’”

    Confidence returns to Bay of Plenty as rates fall and vendors meet the market

    In the Bay of Plenty region, Paul Billinghurst, Principal of Raine & Horne Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, Katikati, Waihi Beach, and Waihi, said there’s been a clear uplift in market activity over the past six months.

    “People have been more open to transacting. Buyers have responded well since the Reserve Bank began cutting the official cash rate (OCR) and are less spooked by high interest rates,” Mr Billinghurst said.

    “The commentary suggesting prices have bottomed out has also encouraged buyers to act. They see it as a buyers’ market and are coming in confidently.”

    On the flip side, Mr Billinghurst stated that many vendors have moved on from waiting for post-COVID price peaks to return and are now more prepared to meet the market.

    Mr Billinghurst said, “Vendors are recognising the heady days of 2021 are long past, as are the prices being achieved back then.

    “If owners are selling and buying in the same market, they are more willing to accept a lower market price on their current property and pay a lower market price for their new one to be able to move forward.”

    In Tauranga and Mount Maunganui, Mr Billinghurst said that quality properties around $850,00 were in the sweet spot for many buyers.

    “We have a lot of first home buyers really active, up to $850,000, who are snapping up quality properties in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui.

    Outside of any geopolitical risks, such as potential US tariffs, Mr Billinghurst believes the Bay of Plenty market is poised for a strong finish to 2025.

    “We’re on track for a really solid and stable market over the final three quarters of the year,” he said. “It’s shaping up to be a return to more normal conditions.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: VANUATU: Families find climate-smart ways to grow crops 18 months on from cyclone devastation

    Source: Save the Children

    Families in Vanuatu are adopting climate-smart agricultural techniques to improve food security, such as growing climate resistant crops, to prepare for future climate-driven disasters in the wake of devastating Tropical Cyclone Lola 18 months ago.
    Tropical Cyclone Lola was one of the most powerful off-season storms to strike the Pacific when it made landfall in October 2023 with wind speeds of up to 215 km/h, destroying homes, schools and plantations, claiming the lives of at least four people [2] and affecting about 91,000 people [1]. 
    Recovery efforts were made significantly more challenging when Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila was then hit by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in December last year, claiming 14 lives and destroying critical infrastructure.
    Madleen, 11, said when the cyclone hit, her family’s crops were destroyed, leaving them short of food. 
    “It destroyed the food crops. When we came outside, we saw the crops were destroyed. The banana tree was just bearing fruit and it was destroyed. And we didn’t have enough food. We were eating rice, but we were almost running short. We were not eating well, we ate just enough. I felt bad.”  
    After the cyclone, a shortage of nutritious food put children at risk of hunger as well as diseases like diarrhea, with typically an increase in the number of children hospitalised for diarrhea following cyclones, Save the Children said. 
    Vanuatu is already one of the most climate disaster-prone countries in the world, and scientists say tropical cyclones will become more extreme as the climate crisis worsens. This will disproportionately impact children due to food shortages, disruption to education and psychosocial trauma associated with experiencing disasters. 
    Save the Children, alongside Vanuatu’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries, and Biosecurity (MALFFB) and local partners, is supporting Madleen and her family through the Tropical Cyclone Lola Recovery Programme, which is helping improve food security and resilience in communities impacted by the cyclone. 
    As a part of the Recovery Programme, over 1,100 households have received climate-resistant [3] seeds from a seedbank. These seeds, for growing watermelon, papaya, Chinese cabbage, tomato, capsicum and cucumber, are proven to perform in Vanuatu’s changing climate, with tolerance to high rainfall, drought, pests and disease. Farmers are encouraged to preserve the seeds from crops and sell them back to the seed bank. 
    The programme is also training communities in other climate-smart agricultural techniques such as growing smaller fruit trees that are robust enough to withstand strong cyclone winds.
    Save the Children has also built a collapsible nursery for plants in Madleen’s community that can be taken down when a cyclone is predicted, so saplings and trees can be stored, protected and replanted after it passes.
    Save the Children Vanuatu Country Director, Polly Banks, said:
    “In just 18 months, people in Vanuatu have been deeply shaken by a devastating cyclone and a powerful earthquake.
    “Children have borne the brunt of this, with food taken off their plates, crops destroyed, homes and schools damaged and diseases on the rise. As the climate crisis accelerates, we must work with communities to strengthen their resilience, so children and their families are better equipped to face whatever comes next.
    “We’re working in partnership with the Government of Vanuatu and local partners to help communities build the skills and resources they need to support themselves when future cyclones and disasters strike.”
    Save the Children has been working in in Vanuatu for more than 40 years to make sure children are learning, protected from harm, and grow up healthy and strong.
    Notes:
    This project was also supported by the New Zealand Government’s Disaster Response Partnership programme.
    [3] Open-pollinated seeds (OP seeds) produce plants that can reproduce true to type, meaning farmers can save seeds from their harvest and plant them in the next season with similar results. OP varieties used and recommended by the Vanuatu Agriculture Research and Technical Centre are often locally adapted, meaning they’ve been trialed and selected for their performance in Vanuatu’s climate – including tolerance to high rainfall, drought, pests and diseases. These seeds have genetic diversity, allowing plants to better adapt to changing weather patterns.
    About Save the Children NZ:
    Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
    Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Uzbekistan: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2025 Article IV Mission

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    April 23, 2025

    A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit (or ‘mission’), in most cases to a member country. Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, in the context of a request to use IMF resources (borrow from the IMF), as part of discussions of staff monitored programs, or as part of other staff monitoring of economic developments.

    The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    Washington, DC:

    Recent Developments, Outlook, and Risks

    The economy has continued to perform strongly. Real GDP growth was robust at 6.5 percent in 2024, supported by strong domestic demand. The external current account deficit narrowed by 2.6 percentage points of GDP to 5.0 percent in 2024 on the back of strong remittances, high commodity prices, rapidly growing non-gold exports, and the winding down of a one-off increase in imports in 2023. International reserves remain ample. The consolidated government deficit (CGD) fell by 1.7 percentage points of GDP to 3.2 percent in 2024, largely reflecting a reduction in energy subsidies and better-targeted social expenditure, with higher gold prices mitigating lower VAT revenues from high VAT refunds. However, the reduction in domestic demand from the smaller deficit was dampened by higher spending in the broader public sector, including from SOEs, facilitated by an increase in the external borrowing ceiling. Inflation remains elevated, with a headline reading of 10.3 percent year-on-year (y/y) in March 2025, reflecting last year’s needed increases in energy tariffs and other administered prices, as well as spillovers into other prices.

    Growth is expected to remain robust, however, external uncertainty has ratcheted up recently. The announced global tariff increases have increased uncertainty and tightened global financial conditions and could affect Uzbekistan through external demand, commodity prices, and financial flows. Despite this uncertainty, under the baseline, real GDP growth is projected to remain close to 6 percent in 2025 and 2026, supported by continued strength in private consumption, investment, and advancement of structural reforms. The current account deficit is forecast to remain unchanged at 5 percent of GDP in 2025, as higher gold exports and broader public sector consolidation offset weaker non-gold export performance brought about by slower growth in trading partners. Inflation is expected to moderate to slightly above 8 percent y/y at end-2025, and continue to gradually decline thereafter, supported by tight macroeconomic and macroprudential policies and the continuation of structural reforms.

    Elevated uncertainty presents both risks and opportunities. Key external risks stem from larger and protracted trade policy shocks, spillovers from the war in Ukraine, reduced availability of external financing, and commodity price volatility. Domestically, risks include higher-than-expected fiscal deficits, upward adjustments to borrowing ceilings, weakened bank balance sheets, and contingent liabilities from state-owned enterprises, state-owned commercial banks (SOCBs), and public-private partnerships (PPPs). Opportunities could arise from faster implementation of structural reforms, stronger capital and remittance inflows, and higher gold prices.

    Fiscal Policy

    The decline in the consolidated government deficit (CGD) in 2024 is welcome. Staff commends the government for reducing the CGD and remaining committed to the 3 percent medium-term fiscal target. Adhering to the external borrowing limit of US $5.5 billion in 2025 and setting future borrowing ceilings that ensure public and publicly guaranteed debt as a share of GDP doesn’t increase are paramount to enhance budget credibility, help mitigate risks from state-owned enterprises and PPPs, and alleviate demand pressures on inflation. Volatile gold prices create risks of inflationary spending pressures when they are high, and pressures to lower spending when they are low, exacerbating macroeconomic fluctuations. The authorities should thus seek to minimize responses of government spending to gold price changes.

    Revenue mobilization and spending rationalization are needed to create room for development and social needs. A medium-term revenue strategy is needed to offset the 2 percentage point of GDP decline in the tax-to-GDP ratio since 2020. Tax policy options include reforming the corporate and personal income taxes, reducing income-based tax incentives, and removing ineffective customs exemptions while refraining from granting new ones. These should be complemented by revenue administration measures, including revamping the audit program and improving large taxpayer office operations, while ensuring that taxpayers’ rights are respected. In this regard, the two strategies currently under consideration, to reform the tax administration and combat the shadow economy should be approved and implemented. Rationalizing wages, reducing the cost of goods and services leveraging recent procurement reforms, accelerating state-owned enterprise reforms, further consolidating and improving the design of social assistance programs, and reforming the pension system would enhance spending efficiency.

    The reform of fiscal institutions should continue in order to strengthen fiscal discipline and transparency. Staff commends the government for adhering to the budget calendar, preparing the fiscal strategy paper and fiscal risk statements, and adopting the 2025-2030 Public Financial Management Reform Strategy. Further progress is needed to unify the public investment process irrespective of the financing source, better align and integrate the preparation of capital and current budgets, cover all capital expenditures institutions are responsible for when setting their budget ceilings, and publish these ceilings with the budget documents. Importantly, to address fiscal risks from a rapidly growing PPP pipeline, the authorities have made notable progress in designing a system to monitor and manage risks from PPPs. This should be complemented by conducting a sensitivity analysis of key assumptions, include potential PPP costs in the budget, integrate PPPs in the broader public investment management framework, and lower the annual PPP cap in line with limited absorption capacity. Improving Government Financial Statistics (GFS) reporting and publishing the debt management strategy, along with annual borrowing plan, will strengthen fiscal transparency and facilitate relations with investors.

    Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy

    The Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU) should keep monetary policy tight until inflation approaches its 5 percent target. The recent policy rate hike in response to rising inflation and inflation expectations signals the CBU’s readiness to address existing pressures. Monetary policy should remain data-driven and be tightened further if core inflation or inflation expectations do not decline. The exchange rate should be gradually allowed to fluctuate in wider ranges to better reflect market conditions, serve as a shock absorber, safeguard reserves, incentivize firms to hedge foreign exchange exposures, and help avoid persistent depreciation expectations. In addition, adhering to the principle of neutrality within the calendar year will facilitate exchange rate flexibility. Staff commends the CBU for its efforts to enhance communication. Bolstering communication further will help anchor inflation expectations and ensure predictability of monetary policy. Efforts to strengthen monetary policy transmission should continue by further improving liquidity management, modernizing the reserve requirements framework, and reducing the role of the state in the banking sector and high dollarization.

    Financial Sector Stability

    The authorities should advance reforms of state-owned commercial banks (SOCBs) and accelerate their privatization to promote financial stability and efficient resource allocation. Their mandates should focus on profitability, and any costs arising from non-commercial operations should be fully and transparently compensated for in the budget until these operations are gradually phased out. Strengthening the corporate governance of SOCBs would support their commercial focus, facilitate privatization, promote state-owned enterprise restructuring, improve monetary policy transmission, and increase access to affordable credit for the private sector. A reduction in government ownership of banking system assets to 40 percent, as envisaged in the 2020-2025 banking reform strategy, calls for the acceleration of SOCB privatization. Transparent procedures, strong regulatory frameworks, good creditor and shareholder rights, and competitive bidding during the privatization process would ensure the attraction of qualified investors and maximize asset value. Furthermore, staff advises against current plans to keep systemic banks as policy banks, which could increase financial risks or costs to the budget.

    Bank supervision should be enhanced, including by adopting international standards. Staff advises the authorities to implement the recommendations of the recent and first Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) for Uzbekistan. These call for reforms to focus on strengthening bank regulation; implementing robust risk-based supervision; enhancing systemic risk analysis and stress testing; strengthening capital requirements; aligning asset classification and non-performing loan resolution with international best practices; improving payment system oversight; and establishing adequate bank resolution, crisis management, and financial safety net arrangements.

    The Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU) should continue to closely monitor and be prepared to address emerging financial stability risks. The welcome introduction of macroprudential measures in 2023-24 has moderated household credit growth and resulted in banks’ increased attention to borrower’s creditworthiness. Nevertheless, the microlending segment has been growing rapidly as micro loans and credits are provided under less stringent conditions. While initiatives that aim at enhancing financial inclusion and deepening are welcome, they should not undermine proper credit assessment by banks, which would add to financial stability risks. The CBU should therefore strengthen risk-based supervision to limit these risks and deploy additional capital requirements or other binding macroprudential measures, as needed. It should also address risks from foreign exchange lending to unhedged corporate borrowers, and lending to individuals without formal income and to corporates facing heightened risks of insolvency or illiquidity. Phasing out preferential and directed lending should remain a priority.

    Structural and Governance Reforms

    After significantly advancing economic transition reforms, Uzbekistan needs to complete them and accelerate implementation of institutional reforms. Necessary energy tariff and broader administrative price increases have advanced price liberalization and should be continued until its completion to allow prices to fully reflect market forces. Significant progress has also been made with World Trade Organization accession in both bilateral and multilateral tracks, and the increased engagement with neighboring countries and other regions such as the Gulf Cooperation Council, have significantly contributed to advancing trade liberalization and diversification. Support for state-owned enterprises needs to be transparent, made conditional on restructuring, and be gradually phased out to level the playing field for the private sector. State involvement in the economy should continue to be reduced, and privatization of large state-owned enterprises should be accelerated and carried out in accordance with international best practices. Controls and direct intervention should be replaced with effective regulation and market institutions. Facilitating firm entry and exit would further contribute to stimulate a competitive environment for the private sector.  

    Governance, labor, and climate reforms should continue. Governance indicators have improved significantly in recent years. The enactment of the conflict-of-interest law, training of government officials to implement it, and the establishment of the Virtual Anti-Corruption Academy are welcome. Public discussion of the draft law on asset declaration for officials of the government and state enterprises, and cabinet review of the draft whistleblower protection law are expected soon. The authorities should enact and implement these laws as soon as possible. Improving transparency and access to information, particularly regarding procurement, and finalizing the National Strategy on Anti-Corruption would also contribute to improved efficiency of public spending and administration. Labor market reforms need to be accelerated to address low female labor participation, high informality, and skill mismatches. Completing the energy price reform and swiftly adopting measures to enhance water efficiency, diversify crops, and support reforestation efforts will significantly advance the climate agenda. Improving the quality of statistics would lead to better analysis and more informed policymaking.

    The mission would like to thank the Uzbek authorities, stakeholders, and private sector representatives for their hospitality, constructive policy dialogue, and productive collaboration during the Article IV mission.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Wafa Amr

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/04/23/mcs-042325-uzbekistan-staff-concluding-statement-of-the-2025-article-iv-mission

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