Monday, 10 August 2026

Banks are doing more with roughly the same workforce

Where is AI creating value in liquidity management, and where is it still stuck?

MUFG leads APAC region in 2026 CIW rankings on broad-based performance gains

Our latest insights

Datafiles

European banking sector net profit expected to reach $408 billion in 2026

European banks across 34 markets saw net profit grow by a factor of 4.4 between FY2020 and FY2025, driven by post-pandemic recovery and the European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) most aggressive rate-hike cycle in a generation between 2022 and 2023. As these growth tailwinds ease and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and ECB revise Euro area real GDP growth to between 0.9 and 1.1% in 2026, banks that built structural capacity during the windfall years now demonstrate more stable earnings, with banks in Belgium, Eastern Europe and the Nordics emerging as structural leaders.

Bank Results

Leading European banks accelerated revenue and profit growth in 1H2026, driven by broad-based business momentum

Europe’s largest banks by country showed surprising resilience in the first half of 2026, with broad-based growth across their business segments. UBS, Barclays and BNP Paribas stood out, although part of their results were boosted by corporate-centre gains, treasury performance and exceptional items. Strong earnings prompted several banks to raise their full-year guidance and reconsider mergers and acquisitions

Bank Results

Indian banks post stronger first-half profits as lower provisions offset weak revenues

Indian lenders posted stronger first-half profits as lower loan provisions boosted earnings, but weak revenue growth and margin pressure point to a more challenging outlook.

Research Notes

Can Citi turn its tokenised deposit first into a lasting competitive edge?

Siam Commercial Bank’s adoption of Citi’s integrated 24/7 USD Clearing and Token Services extends round-the-clock tokenised payments beyond Citi’s own accounts. But as HSBC, J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered and BNY pursue alternative models, and shared ledgers gain momentum, the competition is shifting from first-mover advantage to interoperability and network scale.

Datafiles

UniCredit's Commerzbank takeover is a watershed moment for European banking

UniCredit’s path to taking full control of Commerzbank by the end of 2026 represents a decisive test of European banking consolidation, challenging political resistance and signalling that shareholder interests may increasingly outweigh national protectionism in shaping the region’s banking landscape. The resulting model would leave Commerzbank with a smaller, more focused international network designed primarily to support German, Polish and other European corporate clients rather than operate as a dispersed global lending franchise.

Datafiles

Leading financial platforms sustained over 40% annual payment growth from 2022 to 2025

Fintech platforms have evolved from payment apps into formidable competitors to banks, using payments as a gateway to credit, savings, investments, insurance and merchant services, often without the cost and regulatory burden of a full banking licence. The world's largest platforms show that this model can deliver both enormous scale and, in most cases, strong profitability.

Datafiles

N26's first full-year profit ends its 11-year start-up phase

N26 delivered its first full-year net profit in 2025, but a decade of prioritising growth over bank-grade controls left the German fintech trailing European rivals, prompting a sweeping leadership overhaul.

Bank Results

Leading Thai financial groups post muted 1.1% profit growth in 1H2026 as lower rates squeeze margins

Thai financial players entered the lower-rate cycle in the first half of 2026 with strong balance sheets and capital positions, but the key differentiator was how effectively they repriced deposits as asset yields declined, rather than credit quality. Krungsri emerged as the best-performing financial institution among its peers.

Bank Results

US banks post record first-half profits on capital markets strength, lower provisions

Robust capital markets activity and lower credit provisions lifted first-half earnings at leading US banks, but gains were concentrated among the largest, most diversified institutions. JPMorgan Chase led the group in absolute pre-tax profit, while limited margin expansion and slower revenue growth at regional lenders exposed a widening earnings divide.

Rankings

Bank of America leads 2026 CIW ranking among North America-headquartered banks

North America's leading corporate and investment banks retained their global dominance in 2025, although their performance revealed widening efficiency gaps as revenue growth, regulatory changes and remediation costs shaped results.