The Bank of China (BOC) posted a 28 percent year-on-year jump in net profit to 19.48 billion yuan (2.44 billion US dollars), boosted by growth in lending, non-interest income and fees, The Wall Street Journal reported. The results underscore how the mainland bank has diversified its domestic business at a time when Beijing is trying to squeeze loan growth. It also shows how the mainland business is driving group earnings amid stiff competition in the mature banking market of Hong Kong, such as in mortgages, said the paper. Bank of China said income aside from lending also helped boost earnings, and it is keen to develop this area of its business. Noninterest income rose 17 percent to 14.68 billion yuan (1.835 billion US dollars), while fee income, including annual fees charged for bank cards, rose 51 percent to 6.8 billion yuan (850 million US dollars). "In the future, BOC will strive to drive the growth of fee-based businesses and retail-banking businesses," said BOC President Li Lihui.