Shares of Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) rose 1.82% to RM10.08 as of 4.01 pm, following a session that saw the stock trade between RM9.95 and RM10.10 on a volume of 8.8 million shares.
The gains come amid a mixed outlook for the Malaysian banking sector, where domestic-focused lenders have outperformed peers with significant overseas exposure. CreditSights recently maintained a “Market Perform” rating on local banks, citing slower GDP growth and margin pressures following Bank Negara Malaysia’s July rate cut.
Maybank, with its diversified operations, is navigating similar challenges, including potential margin compression and cautious lending growth in a softer economic environment. Analysts noted that while net interest margins and fee income remain under pressure, healthy capital positions and liquidity ratios provide resilience.
The sector has seen a divergence in performance: AmBank and RHB posted stronger domestic-driven results, while CIMB faced profitability headwinds from foreign market exposures and currency depreciation in Indonesia.
