Bankinter made move after Avant profit hike

Bank sees value of its loan book hit €3.3bn in the first quarter of the year

Brian Lande, head of mortgages at Avant Money. Photo: Jason Clarke

Sean Pollock

Bankinter’s Avant Money unit made €9m of profits in Ireland in the first three months of the financial year, ahead of the decision to launch a full bank offering here.

The Spanish bank plans to increase lending here by up to €1bn this year as bumper quarterly profits strengthened owner Bankinter’s decision to expand.