Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. became the first-ever Philippine financial institution to claim the Strongest Bank title from The Asian Banker for three straight years.

The award is part of The Asian Banker's pioneering and most credible annual ranking analysis of all major banks in the Asia Pacific region based on their strongest balance sheet performance. Assessments for a bank's performance are based on a detailed scorecard established by six criteria of balance sheet performance; namely, the ability to scale, balance sheet growth, risk profile, profitability, asset quality and liquidity.

"Metrobank is privileged to have a team of committed Metrobankers who are dedicated to live up to the promise of keeping our clients' trust, and delivering consistent and stronger results year after year for our shareholders. We are honored to accept this award and we maintain our strong commitment to serve as the financial institution that our valued clients and stakeholders can depend upon for their financial needs," said Metrobank President Fabian Dee.

Indeed, Metrobank continues to sustain its strong performance as it books a 34 percent growth in net income to PHP20.9 billion in the first half of the year, fueled by the Bank's asset expansion, enhanced margins, and robust fee income growth — all of which resulted in a strong and stable asset quality. This translated to a notable 12.9 percent return on equity, higher than the 10.0 percent recorded in the corresponding period last year.

Metrobank brought home multiple achievements from notable global financial publications this year. Asiamoney named it as the "Best Domestic Bank", "Best Service for Trade Finance services", "Best Bank from the Ultra-High Net Worth", and "Best Domestic Private Bank".

Meanwhile, it was given the "Cesar E.A. Virata Award" under the Bank Category for the ninth year and six other Trading Awards because of its exceptional performance on fixed-income securities trading at the recently held 2023 Philippine Dealing System Awards Night.