The bank reported a broadly positive set of results across business lines including the wealth business. At group level, pre-tax profit set a record and earnings per share came out ahead of forecasts, helping its share price.

Yesterday, tag|Standard Chartered">Standard Chartered reported that income in its wealth solutions business, part of the wealth and retail banking division, rose 38 per cent in the six months to end-June from a year before. 

The gain was due to strong client engagement, net new money growth and continued momentum in client acquisition, the UK-listed bank said in its half-year 2026 results statement.

The bank’s investment products rose 46 per cent and bancassurance business grew by 15 per cent, while affluent net new money reached a record $33 billion, driven by higher wealth sales and strong new-to-bank affluent client onboarding, Standard Chartered said.

Wealth and retail banking delivered a half-year 2026 pre-tax profit of $1.989 billion, rising 63 per cent year-on-year and up 61 per cent on a constant currency basis. In the second quarter of this year, the pre-tax profit was $572 million, up 76 per cent on a year ago and up 74 per cent in constant currency terms. Expenses were 1 per cent lower on a headline basis – investment in affluent business growth initiatives and digital capabilities was partly paid for by efficiency savings. 

For the group as a whole, profit attributable to ordinary shareholders rose 10 per cent in the half year of 2026 to $3.368 billion on a year ago and pre-tax profit rose 9 per cent to $4.8 billion – a record. Operating income rose 6 per cent and operating expenses rose by 1 per cent. 

The bank, which earns the bulk of its revenues in regions such as Asia, said it delivered a 17 per cent increase in its earnings per share to 151.6 cents. It upgraded its income guidance and announced new share buyback of $1.0 billion. 

Shares in Standard Chartered, which are up 18.3 per cent since 1 January, were up 3.34 per cent on the London Stock Exchange today [29 July], buoyed by the results and the share buyback announcement. 

At the end of June, Standard Chartered had a Common Equity Tier 1 ratio – a standard international measure of a bank’s capital shock absorber – of 14.2 per cent, a slight rise on a year before, and a liquidity coverage ratio of 148.4 per cent.

Looking ahead, Standard Chartered said that operating income growth in 2026 on a year-on-year basis will be around the middle of the 5 to 7 per cent range at constant currency terms. Return on tangible equity will be greater than 12 per cent, it added.