(Adds dividend, more background, chair resignation) Feb 14...

(Adds dividend, more background, chair resignation)

Feb 14 (Reuters) - Australian wealth manager AMP Ltd (AMP) posted a 6.5% rise in its fiscal 2023 underlying profit on Wednesday, mainly boosted by higher earnings from its "Platforms" segment and New Zealand wealth management unit.

The Platforms business, which offers retirement and investment plans, posted a 38.5% jump in underlying profit after tax of A$90 million for the fiscal year, as it benefited from favourable market conditions amid stabilising interest rates and improved equity markets.

Underlying profit from the New Zealand segment was A$34 million, up 6.3% from a year earlier.

However, the positive results were partly offset by lower earnings at the AMP's banking unit, with underlying profit dipping nearly 10% to A$93 million during the year as its margins declined amid heightened competition in lending and deposits.

For the year ended Dec. 31, the 175-year-old firm reported an underlying net profit after tax of A$196 million ($126.46 million), compared with A$184 million a year earlier, missing an LSEG estimate of A$206 million.

It declared a final dividend of 2 Australian (AU) cents per share, slightly lower than 2.5 AU apiece last year.

The Sydney-headquartered company said earlier in the day its chair, Debra Hazelton, will retire at the end of the current fiscal year's annual general meeting on April 12. ($1 = 1.5499 Australian dollars)