MEXICO CITY, April 22 (Reuters) - Mexican lender Banorte

said on Wednesday it was maintaining its 2026 guidance after it

recorded a first-quarter jump in provisions a day earlier,

predicting better loan growth later this year as visibility

improves on trade talks and domestic infrastructure spending.

Executives told analysts on the bank's earnings call the

increase in provisions did not reflect broader deterioration in

credit quality, but was mainly driven by a recalibration of

internal risk models, growth in retail lending and an additional

charge linked to a previously identified corporate exposure.

* Banorte on Tuesday reported first-quarter net income rose

1% from a year earlier to 15.5 billion pesos, while its bank

unit posted profit of 11.7 billion pesos, up 6% year-on-year.

* Analysts questioned the rise in the bank's cost of risk to

about 2.2%, above the higher end of its full-year guidance range

of 1.8% to 2.1%. Management said the quarterly increase was

already contemplated in its outlook and should normalize in

coming quarters.

* Overall lending grew 6% from a year earlier in the first

quarter, or 8% excluding government loans, below Banorte's

full-year guidance of 8% to 11%. Executives said growth should

accelerate in the second half.

* Demand in commercial, corporate and government lending has

been held back by uncertainty over the U.S.-Mexico-Canada

Agreement review, as well as delays in investment decisions tied

to public infrastructure projects, executives said.

* Banorte is stepping up its use of artificial intelligence

across the organization, with a goal of having 10,000 employees

in operations and back-office roles using AI tools in their

daily work. The bank is also embedding AI in functions such as

client personalization, risk analysis and workflow automation.

* The lender said it plans to launch a new product aimed at

younger clients by the end of April, as it looks to compete more

aggressively for digitally native and under-banked customers.