| • | | Finance costs decreased by 25.7% to RMB211 million (US$33 million) in the first quarter of 2022 from RMB284 million in the same period of 2021, mainly due to the increase in interest income resulting from the increase in deposits. |
| • | | Other gains were RMB118 million (US$19 million) in the first quarter of 2022 compared to other losses of RMB138 million in the same period of 2021, mainly due to the foreign exchange gain in the first quarter of 2022. |
NET PROFIT
Net profit increased by 6.5% to RMB5,290 million (US$834 million) in the first quarter of 2022 from RMB4,969 million in the same period of 2021, driven by the aforementioned factors, If non-cash foreign exchange gains and losses were excluded from the calculation of net profit, then the year on year increase in net profit would have been 2.1% instead.
EARNINGS PER ADS
Basic and diluted earnings per American Depositary Share (“ADS”) were RMB2.31 (US$0.36) and RMB2.14 (US$0.34), respectively, in the first quarter of 2022.
BALANCE SHEET
The Company had RMB40,556 million (US$6,398 million) in cash at bank as of March 31, 2022, as compared to RMB34,743 million as of December 31, 2021.
Recent Developments
US$1 Billion Share Repurchase Program
During 2021, the Company’s board of directors authorized share repurchase programs under which the Company could repurchase up to an aggregate of US$1 billion of its ADSs during the specific period. As of March 31, 2022, the Company had repurchased approximately 110 million ADSs for approximately US$877 million under these share repurchase programs.
US$500 Million Share Repurchase Program
On March 7, 2022, the Company’s board of directors authorized an additional share repurchase program, under which the Company may repurchase up to an aggregate of US$500 million worth of its ADSs over the following twelve months.
Early retirement of CFO
Mr. James Zheng, the Company’s CFO, will be taking early retirement from the end of this June after many years career with the Company. Over his years of service James has contributed a great deal to the success of Lufax. The Company would like to thank James for his service. The company has started the search for a new CFO. During the interim period, Mr. David Choy, Chief Financial Officer of Puhui, will assume the finance function of the company.
Business Outlook
During the first quarter of 2022, the overall economics in China was impacted by the regional lockdowns. Under the current zero COVID policy, the Company believes that rolling lockdowns, simultaneously affecting multiple cities, will likely remain rooted in the landscape throughout most of 2022, thus exerting severe negative influences on the entire economy and the credit business. As such, the Company would like to provide its revised guidance to account for the near-term macro headwinds.
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