Lebanon's Bank Audi said its net profit for the first nine months of the year rose 17.8 percent to $212.8 million compared to the same period a year ago.

It said in a statement customer deposits grew 23.8 percent to $21.3 billion compared to the end of 2008, while total assets grew 20.9 percent to $24.7 billion in the same period.

Audi said almost all financial sector indicators registered exceptional growth in first nine months of 2009 relative to last year's period, confirming Lebanon's resilience in the face of the global economic turmoil.

'In parallel, the economic and financial environment in the Middle East and North Africa region, where Bank Audi has a wide presence, contributed to the achievement of a better performance than expected earlier this year,' the statement said.- Reuters