ICBC reports steady 2024 profit, proposes dividend hike

** Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) reported a net profit of CNY 366.95 billion for 2024, a 0.5% increase year-over-year. The bank proposes a final dividend of CNY 0.1646 per share, bringing the total dividend for the year to CNY 0.3080 per share, representing a payout ratio of 31.3%. ICBC highlighted its commitment to serving the real economy, with loans to manufacturing and strategic emerging industries growing by 13.7% and 16.7% respectively. The bank's non-performing loan ratio remained stable at 1.34%, while the capital adequacy ratio improved to 19.39%. ICBC continues to hold the top position in The Banker's "Top 1000 World Banks" ranking.