Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) posted its second-biggest quarterly-profit ever, up 34 per cent from the year-earlier period, due to growth in its assets, loans, deposits and operating income, the bank said in a statement on Thursday.

Abu Dhabi's third-largest bank by market value posted net profit of Dh655.4 million  ($178.5 million) which beat three out of four analysts' forecasts ranging from Dh486 million to Dh655.50 million in a Reuters survey last month.

Operating income for the period rose 45 per cent to Dh2.14 billion which was driven by a 45 per cent rise in fee income and a 227 per cent rise in foreign exchange and derivative income.

Total assets for the first six months of the year rose 33.5 per cent to Dh128 billion compared with the same period last year.

Loans and advances in the first half of the year rose 34 per cent to Dh91 billion from the same period in 2007 and stable deposits jumped 36 per cent to Dh97 billion.

The bank made Dh489.12 million in the second-quarter of 2007 and Dh459.89 million in the first quarter of this year.  The bank's shares are down more than 6 per cent so far this year, underperforming Abu Dhabi's main index  which is up more than 7 per cent.-Reuters