BH Bank's Ordinary General Assembly: Resilience in a Challenging Economic Context
The ordinary general assembly of BH Bank, held to review the 2025 financial statements, confirms the bank's resilience in a difficult economic context, marked by a decline in net income to 39.8 million dinars, compared to 70.4 million dinars the previous year.
A Challenging Environment
"The bank has evolved in a national and international environment under pressure, while managing to preserve its financial balances," said Taoufik Mnasri, President of the Assembly. He added, "The bank has continued its efforts in governance, risk management, and service quality improvement," while accelerating digitalization and customer proximity. The prudential indicators show comfortable levels, with a short-term liquidity ratio of 167.6%, well above the regulatory minimum, and a global solvency ratio of 15.8%, compared to the required norm of 10%. The Tier 1 ratio has also progressed to 13.3%, levels that management considers reassuring in a context of strengthening provisions.
Commercial Activity Progress
The interim General Manager, Lotfi Ben Hammouda, highlighted the progress of commercial activity. "Customer deposits have increased by 11.3%, representing an additional 1019.9 million dinars," he specified, adding that the bank now holds a 9.4% market share. This evolution is explained in particular by the increase in sight deposits, savings, and term deposits, translating, according to him, "the renewed confidence of customers." However, profitability was affected by the increase in charges and the cost of risk. The net banking product contracted, leading to a decline in gross operating income to 402.5 million dinars. Provisions reached 326.2 million dinars, in a context marked by difficulties in certain sectors, particularly the olive oil and real estate promotion sectors. The rate of classified loans thus increased to 20.57%.
Resilience and Solidity
"Despite exceptional economic conditions, the bank has demonstrated its ability to resilience and solidity," Ben Hammouda affirmed, while recognizing that pressure on profitability remains a short-term challenge. On a strategic level, the bank is pursuing its transformation by strengthening its compliance systems and modernizing its systems. It has successfully transitioned to the international SWIFT ISO 20022 standards ahead of the regulatory deadline, confirming its alignment with international banking practices.
Social Responsibility
The year 2025 was also marked by progress in social responsibility. BH Bank became the first Tunisian public bank to publish a sustainability report, as part of a program accompanied by the International Finance Corporation and the Tunis Stock Exchange. Taoufik Mnasri stated that "social responsibility now constitutes a central axis of the bank's strategy."
Uncertain Economic Environment
The leaders also recalled that the economic environment remains uncertain. According to the International Monetary Fund's projections, Tunisian growth is expected to reach 2.1% in 2026, after 2.5% in 2025, with risks related to inflation and external imbalances. At the end of this assembly, BH Bank thus displays solid fundamentals but remains faced with challenges related to asset quality and profitability, in an economic context that requires caution and continuous adaptation.
