The boss of Singtel - the largest Singapore-listed company by market capitalisation - earned slightly more this year as the group's earnings held steady despite a "challenging business environment".

Chief executive Chua Sock Koong took home a remuneration package of $6.56 million for the 12 months to March 31, up on the $6.39 million she reaped in the previous year.

About $5.89 million of this year's package has been paid out, including a base salary of $1.65 million, Singtel disclosed in its annual report yesterday.

Like Ms Chua's pay, Singtel's earnings were mostly stable from a year earlier. The telco made a net profit of $3.85 billion in the 2017 financial year, holding stable from a net profit of $3.87 billion the year before.

Although full-year revenue slipped a little, Singtel was "resilient" overall, owing to strong core businesses, higher associate earnings and lower tax expenses.

Ms Chua said in the annual report: "Singtel today is markedly different from the traditional telco we were five years ago. We've strengthened our competitiveness, and we're also more diversified and resilient."