BANKING
Skyrocketing Profits

THE economy is slowing down, but the banking sector is reaping huge profits. Bank Mandiri, for example, booked a net profit of Rp7.16 trillion at the end of last year, or up 34.7 percent compared to the same period in 2008. The increased profit of the largest bank in Indonesia was due to a 13.8-percent growth in loans to Rp198.55 trillion from last year’s Rp174.5 trillion.

The highest credit growth was in the micr