Vontobel said Wednesday that first half net profit rose 26%, helped by a rise in income from fees, commissions and trading and a tight grasp on spending.

The Zurich-based bank said net profit for the six months to June 30 was Sff79.4m ($75.6m), compared with Sfr63m a year earlier. The result topped analyst estimates, which averaged Sfr70.4m in a Dow Jones Newswires poll.