Amidst a challenging investment environment during the first half of 2023, Swissquote has defied the odds, surpassing its initial expectations. It reported record net revenues and a considerable increase in client assets. Total operating profit reached CHF 124.87 million, growing by more than CHF 34.2 million compared to the same period a year earlier.
Swissquote Achieves Record Figures amid Challenging Investment Landscape
Despite decreased trading activity across the industry, Swissquote's net revenues soared to CHF 265.6 million, which is a jump of 32.8% compared to the previous year. Interestingly, transaction-based revenues, such as brokerage income, did not lead the growth.
Instead, non-transaction-based revenues, including net interest income and custody fees, took center stage. In fact, due to the prevailing low market volatility , these particular revenues overtook transaction-based earnings for the first time. With a significant rise of 587.6% in net interest income amounting to CHF 102.7 million, which is primarily attributed to a higher interest rate setting.
This trajectory led to the firm registering its second-highest pre-tax profit. As a result, the net profit margin improved to 40.1%, reporting an increase in growth from 38.6% in the prior year. Total expenses rose 30.0% to CHF 138.4 million, which was influenced primarily by marketing and payroll costs. However, the company's profitability metrics remained robust.
"Net eForex income saw an increase of 1.1% to CHF 54.9 million despite a period of low market volatility. Net trading income fell by 10.8% to CHF 26.7 million, due again to lower trading volumes," the company commented in a press release.
Client Assets Hit a New Peak
Over the past year, Swissquote saw its client base grow 6.4%, raising the number of client accounts to 555,266. These figures inflated further when solidified with client assets by 9.9%, marking a new record at CHF 56.9 billion. Even though net new money dipped to CHF 3.0 billion, it remained organically generated, which is distinct from last year's acquisition-related inflow.
Swissquote's balance sheet also demonstrated stability and liquidity. The total assets ascended 3.5% to CHF 10.6 billion as of 30 June 2023.
"At the same time, total equity increased by 6.8% to CHF 791.6 million. The capital ratio remained stable at 25.5 % compared to 24.8% at the end of last year. The balance sheet liquidity remained solid, with the liquidity coverage ratio evolving on a monthly basis in the region of 400%, significantly above the 100% minimum regulatory requirement," Swissquote added.
Swissquote Revises Full-Year Guidance
Despite potential market sentiment stagnation for the latter half of 2023, Swissquote remains optimistic. Given its strong first-half performance, the company has updated its guidance for the full year. The revised projection is estimated at around CHF 530 million in net revenues and a pre-tax profit close to CHF 250 million.
Swissquote's progress was not solely financial. The firm received acknowledgement from Sustainalytics for its dedication to sustainability, enhancing its ESG Risk rating from 'medium risk' to 'low risk'.
"This change is a recognition of Swissquote's recent sustainability initiatives and of the efforts made in recent months to improve its non-financial reporting," the company concluded.
The company has recently launched a new investment and savings solution, offering customers up to 2% interest on cash deposits. In addition, it has partnered with Stableton, an investment firm specializing in private markets, to launch a bank-active managed certificate (ACM) for retail investors in Switzerland.
