AMMAN: Arab Bank Group, Jordan’s largest lender, said its first-half net profit rose 2 percent to $422.9 million, year-on-year.

The bank, one of the Middle East’s major financial institutions with a $46.4 billion balance sheet, said customer deposits rose slightly to $34.8 billion, from $34.4 billion in the same period last year. Loans stood at $24.1 billion at end of June, against $23.7 billion a year before.

Net operating income rose by 4 percent to $590.8 million.