Bank Of East Asia Ltd. (HKG:0023), Hong Kong's fifth-largest lender by assets, said Tuesday 2011 net profit rose 3.2%, partly boosted by net interest income and in spite of a drop in non-interest income.

The bank said net profit rose to HK$4.36 billion (US$565 million) in 2011 from HK$4.22 billion a year earlier. The result was worse than the average HK$4.44 billion forecast of 23 analysts polled earlier by Thomson Reuters.

The Hong Kong lender said net interest income from core lending operations rose 23% to HK$9.26 billion from HK$7.54 billion. Non-interest income fell 3.7% to HK$3.45 billion from HK$3.58 billion.

Bank of East Asia--which has more than 220 branches worldwide including more than 100 in China--proposed a second interim dividend of HK$0.51 a share compared with a final dividend of HK$0.56 last year.