TOKYO (Reuters) – Mizuho (NYSE:) Financial Group reported a 62% jump in second-quarter net profit on Thursday on strong lending demand and higher margins helped by a July interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan. Japan’s third-largest lender by assets reported a group net profit of 277 billion yen ($1.78 billion) for the July-September period, compared with 170 billion yen profit in the same quarter a year earlier. Mizuho lifted its full year profit guidance to 820 billion yen from 750 billion yen.

($1 = 155.8400 yen)