BTN sees property prices, profits up in 2011

* Net profit growth seen up 50 pct in 2011

* Loan growth seen rising 25-30 pct

* Bank to raise 3 trln rph via bonds, assets securitisation

Indonesia's top mortgage lender, PT Bank Tabungan Negara , sees a government commitment to allow foreigners to own local property next year as an opportunity for aggressive expansion, the company's CEO said on Thursday.

Indonesia's property sector could attract between $3 billion to $6

billion in new investment if parliament completes the passage of a law

lifting restrictions on foreign property ownership in Southeast Asia's

biggest economy, industry players say.

"I can see property prices jumping, especially in the cities, said said

Iqbal Latanro, BTN's chief executive officer, in an interview at his

22nd floor Jakarta office, overlooking the presidential palace.

"The only problem for most Indonesians is low buying-power, but as the

economy is growing and the central bank's rate still at its lowest

level, then that problem is slowly lifting."

BTN, the smallest of four Indonesian state banks but the country's

biggest mortgage lender, plans to open new 200 branches across the

archipelago next year in a bid to attract more deposits, Latanro said.

BTN would seek to raise about 2 trillion rupiah via bonds and 1 trillion

rupiah through asset-securitisation to fuel the expansion.

RAISE ASSETS, PROFIT FORECAST

"As the economy grows, consumption-type loans also flourish --

especially for housing," said Latanro. "Therefore we have increased our

loan growth target to between 20 to 30 percent next year, with asset

growth about 15-20 percent."

Latanro said BTN expects profits to jump about 50 percent next year.

The bank's 2009 net profit was 490.45 billion rupiah and is expected to

hit about 790 billion rupiah in 2010 -- up 60 percent this year and in

line with forecasts by StarMine's SmartEstimate, a consensus that gives

more weight to recent forecasts by top-rated analysts.

Latanro's 2011 profit forecast of 1.2 trillion rupiah, however, 50

percent up, is higher than StarMine's estimate of 1.1 trillion rupiah.

"We aim to maintain our net interest margin at around 5 to 6 percent

next year amid tightening competition in the mortgage segment," he said.

 

Shares of BTN, which went public a year ago raising 1.9 trillion rupiah, have risen 94 percent this year -- easily beating a broader market that is nevertheless up 40 percent.

Latanro, a 25 year veteran of BTN and avid golfer, also said the bank was in talks with several middle-eastern investors to develop its shariah unit. 

Indonesia has been a darling of emerging market investors this year, although wariness remains over what steps the government may take to stop volatility caused by inflows of hot money into the debt and equity market. ($1 = 9042.000 Indonesian Rupiah). Source: Reuters