Jan 29 (Reuters) - International bank ING Groep beat quarterly profit expectations on Thursday, boosted by strong interest and fee income for the last three months of 2025. The Dutch bank's fourth-
ING Reports Strong Q4 Profit, Optimistic Outlook for 2026 and 2027
ING's Financial Performance and Future Projections
By Mateusz Rabiega and Jakob Van Calster
Quarterly Profit Overview
Jan 29 (Reuters) - International bank ING Groep beat quarterly profit expectations on Thursday, thanks to strong interest and fee income for the last three months of 2025 and projected improved earnings over the next two years.
Income Growth and Projections
The lender's fourth-quarter profit stood at 1.41 billion euros ($1.69 billion) against the 1.34 billion euros forecast by analysts polled by the lender, and around 260 million euros higher than last year's result.
Cost Expectations for 2026
ING forecasts total income for 2026 at around 24 billion euros from just over 23 billion last year, supported by growth in loans and fees from customers.
"We continue to see good lending growth in retail and wholesale. We continue to see deposits rise; everything," the group's CEO Steven van Rijswijk said in a call with journalists.
The lender also upgraded its guidance for 2027, which analysts at J.P.Morgan and RBC deemed to be on "the prudent side".
BALANCING REVENUE STREAMS
The bank's net interest income - the difference between the interest gathered from borrowers and paid out to depositors - climbed almost 5% on the year to 3.93 billion euros.
Net interest income propelled European banks to surging profits, but flatlined in the first half of 2025 after the European Central Bank brought down interest rates as inflation slowed.
To make up for the dwindling cash stream, the region's lenders are expanding income streams, such as raising fees.
"There is a limit (to fees), especially for ING ... given the weighting of NII that will only be a partial offset", Morningstar's analyst Johann Scholz said, adding that the lender's fee income relies on asset‑management that depends on market valuations outside the bank’s control.
ING expects costs in 2026 to rise moderately to up to 12.8 billion euros.
($1 = 0.8345 euros)
(Reporting by Mateusz Rabiega and Jakob Van Calster; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)
