Issuer Profile
Profile
Samba Bank Limited ("Samba" or the "Bank") is a banking company listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. In 2007, Samba Financial Group (SFG) of Saudi
Arabia acquired a 68.4% stake in Crescent Commercial Bank Limited (CCBL), which was subsequently rebranded as Samba Bank Limited in 2008. In 2021, Saudi
National Bank (SNB) was formed by the merger of two big banks National Commercial Bank and Samba Financial Group. As a result of the merger, the shares of Samba
Bank held by SFG were transferred to SNB by operation of law, establishing SNB as a leading banking entity in Saudi Arabia. Samba operates as a scheduled bank with
its registered office in Blue Area, Islamabad, and has 65 branches across 18 major cities nationwide.
Ownership
The majority of the Bank’s stake (84.51%) is held by Saudi National Bank (SNB) and the general public (9.67%). While the remaining stake vests with
mutual funds (0.16%), public sector companies and corporations (0.26%), and others (5.40%). The Bank’s shareholding structure is considered strong, with Saudi
National Bank (SNB) as its major shareholder. SNB, the largest financial group in Saudi Arabia, is government-owned and operates globally in eight countries with a
significant presence across diverse sectors. SNB’s subsidiaries include SNB Capital Company (SNBC), NCB Capital Dubai, NCB Capital Real Estate Investment
Company (REIC), SNB Markets Limited, and Al-Ahli Insurance Services Marketing Company. The equity of SNB stood at SAR 171.37bln at the end CY24 (CY23: SAR
160.71bln).
Governance
The Bank's Board structure primarily revolves around their group. There are eight directors on the Board with one serving as chairperson. The chairperson,
Mr. Mustafa Ilyas also serves as an adviser to SNB and brings over 18 years of audit experience which focused exclusively on the banking sector. Each member of the
Board contributes significant expertise, with the majority having extensive backgrounds in banking, thereby enhancing the overall strength of the Board The Bank has a
process in place to enhance the overall effectiveness of the BOD, it’s committees, and individual directors on annual basis. To ensure effective governance, the Board has
formed four committees, namely, (i) Audit Committee, and (ii) Risk Committee, iii) Nomination and Remuneration Committee and iv) IT Committee. To ensure
operational efficiency, the Audit Committee ensures that the accounts fairly represent the financial position of the Bank. The Bank’s external auditors, M/s KPMG Taseer
Hadi & CO. Chartered Accountants, have expressed an unqualified opinion on the Bank’s financial statements for the year ended Dec'24.
Management
The Banks operates through a well-defined organizational structure headed by the President and CEO. The organization is structured along functional lines
with the various department heads, along with the management committees, reporting directly to the President and Deputy CEO. The Bank's CEO, Mr. Ahmed Tariq
Azam has resigned from the position on April 28th, 2025. Mr. Rashid Jahangir has been appointed as acting President and CEO of the bank with effect from May 22,
2025 till the time permanent President and CEO is appointed in due time. The Bank have a highly experienced senior management team capable of ensuring that the bank
remains top performing financial institution in Pakistan. A twelve members comprising of the CEO, Deputy CEO and the Group heads of each business and support
function, is responsible for the supervision and control of the bank’s affairs. To ensure that an effective risk management framework is implemented in the Bank, the BOD
and senior management are actively involved in the formulation of policies, procedures and limits.
Business Risk
In light of the declining policy rate environment, In 9MCY25 the Net Interest Income (NII) decreased by 23%, amounting to Rs. 4.3bln (9MCY24: Rs. 5.6bln), which is attributable to decrease in policy rate from
17.50% in September’24 to 11.00% in September’25. The
markup earned was recorded as PKR 16.5bln (9MCY24: PKR 22.4bln). The contribution of markup from investments stood at 9MCY25: PKR 11bln (9MCY24: PKR 12.2bln) and advances remained low at 9MCY25: PKR 5.2bln (9MCY24: PKR 9.5bln). Non-interest income increased by PKR 96 mln, reaching PKR 1,412mln, driven by capital gains of PKR 547mln on
investments, foreign exchange income of PKR 505mln and fee and commission
income of Rs. 279mln. In addition, the Bank realized a gross capital gain of Rs. 714mln in its FVOCI investment portfolio, which has been directly recognized in the
Statement of Changes in Equity (SOCE) in accordance with IFRS-9 requirements.
Financial Risk
In 9MCY25, the Bank’s net advances decreased by 8.9% on a YoY basis to stand at PKR 51.9bln (end-Dec24: PKR 56.4bln). The Bank’s advances to deposits ratio (ADR) recorded a decrease and stood at 44% (end-Dec24 :52.3% ) mainly on the back of a decline in advances and an increase in deposit base. The upward trend has been shown by the NPLs and the rise in infection ratio, which
stood at 17.2% during 9MCY25 (endDec24:15%). As of Sep'2025, the Bank’s Capital Adequacy Ratio stood at 24.6% (end-Dec24: 23.8%). The Bank’s equity base stood at Rs. 18.2bln as of 9MCY25, up from Rs. 17.2bln at the end of CY24.
Instrument Rating Considerations
About the Instrument
Samba Bank issued PPTFC-TIER II in Mar-21. The amount of the instrument is PKR 5,000mln and priced at 6MK+135bps p.a. payable
semiannually. The tenor of this instrument is 10 years, callable from Mar-26 or thereafter with prior approval of SBP. The TFC Issue is subordinated to the payment of
principal and profit to all other indebtedness of the Bank, including deposits, and is not redeemable before maturity without prior approval of the SBP.
Relative Seniority/Subordination of Instrument
The TFC Issue is subordinated as to payment of principal and profit to all other indebtedness of the bank, including
deposits and is not redeemable before maturity without prior approval of the SBP. Moreover, the investors shall have no right to accelerate the repayment of future
scheduled payments (interest or principal) except in bankruptcy and/or liquidation. The lock-in clause states that neither profit nor principal may be paid (even at maturity)
if such payments would result in a shortfall in the Bank's MCR or CAR or increase any existing shortfall in MCR or CAR. The TFCs is also subject to loss absorbency
clause as stipulated in terms of the Basel III Guidelines wherein upon the occurrence of a Point of Non-Viability ("PONV") event as defined in the Basel III Guidelines,
the SBP may at its option, fully and permanently convert the TFCs into common shares of the Bank and/or have them immediately written off (either partially or in full).
Credit Enhancement
The instrument is unsecured.
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