JOHANNESBURG: South African lender Nedbank returned to dividends on Wednesday, declaring an interim payout of 433 cents as it also reported an already-flagged 147% rise in half-year profits.

The bank said its headline earnings per share - the main profit measure in South Africa - for the six months to June 30 stood at 1,084 cents, compared to the 438 cents it reported a year earlier.

South African rand opens slightly firmer; eyes on Fed minutes