SEOUL-- Hana Financial Group Inc., a major financial holding group in South Korea, on Thursday reported a 33.4 percent jump in its 2021 net profit amid a rise in interest and fee revenue.

Net income came to 3.58 trillion won (US$2.99 billion) last year on a consolidated basis, compared with a net profit of 2.68 trillion won tallied a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.

Operating profit surged 20.7 percent on-year to 4.63 trillion won last year, while sales fell 13.6 percent over the cited period to 41.68 trillion won.

For the fourth quarter ended in December, the company earned 854.59 billion won in net profit, 56.81 percent higher than the same period a year earlier. Its net interest margin, a key gauge of profitability, stood at 1.71 percent in the quarter.

The 2021 earnings were a record high for the company, and they were also higher than a market consensus.

The strong earnings were attributed to robust growth in both banking and non-banking businesses thanks to continued efforts to diversify its business portfolios.

The group's interest and fee income came to a combined 9.3 trillion won last year, up 15.2 percent from a year earlier, the company said.

The group's flagship, Hana Bank, also saw its net income jump 27.2 percent on-year in 2021 to 2.58 trillion won.

Shares in Hana Financial rose 1.25 percent to 48,600 won on Thursday, outperforming the broader KOSPI's 0.11 percent gain.

Source: Yonhap News Agency