Investec, the London/South Africa-listed banking group said today that its operating profit before goodwill, acquired intangibles, non-operating items and taxation and after non-controlling interests had fallen by 5.6 per cent in the nine months to 31 December last year, when compared to the same period a year ago.

The firm, which provides services including private banking, did not give an actual figure for its operating profit, however.

Last October, Investec expanded its UK presence by the acquisition of Evolution Group, parent of the investment and brokerage firm Williams de Broe, for £233 million ($372 million).

Recurring income as a percentage of total operating income amounted to around 69 per cent, Investec said in an interim statement. Fee and commission income rose 16.3 per cent year-on-year.

At the end of 2011, the bank’s capital adequacy ratio, applying UK rules, was 17.2 per cent, and when applying South African rules, it was 15.8 per cent.

Third-party assets under management increased by 1.9 per cent to £90.6 billion - an increase of 8.2 per cent on a currency-neutral basis. These numbers include £6.9 billion acquired from Evolution Group.

The group will be holding a pre-close briefing on 15 March 2012.