Qatar National Bank (QNB), the largest lender in the Gulf Arab region, reported a 6.1 per cent increase in third-quarter net profit on Wednesday, beating analysts' forecasts.

The bank reported a net profit of QR3.11 billion ($854.11 million) in the three months to Sept. 30, up from QR2.93 billion in the corresponding period of last year, Reuters calculated. The bank did not provide a quarterly results breakdown in its earnings statement.

For the first nine months of the year, net profit was QR8.70 billion, up 9 per cent from QR8 billion in the same period of 2014, the bank said in a statement.

Four analysts polled by Reuters had on average forecast QNB would make a quarterly net profit of QR2.94 billion. – Reuters