Although low interest rates are currently weighing heavily on Germany’s smaller lenders, the country’s biggest banks are enjoying a fairly comprehensive change in fortunes. Germany’s flagship bank, Deutsche Bank, recently recorded a strong increase in third-quarter net profit, beating analyst expectations in the process. Despite experiencing a drop in investment-bank revenue, Deutsche Bank posted net income for the quarter at €649 million ($768 million), against expectations of only €281 million. Moreover, the country’s second-biggest lender, Commerzbank, also managed to reverse a €637 million loss in the second quarter by posting a healthy €472 million net profit for the third quarter.
According to Standard & Poor’s, the Italian economy is “showing positive signs of recovery”, but also warned that “after six years of stagnation, the process of recovery will probably be long”. Forecasts for economic growth are now being raised, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raising its growth estimate for 2017 to a respectable 1.5 percent, after gross domestic product (GDP) grew by more than expected during the second quarter.
Sweden’s banking system continues to show strength, according to Moody’s. The ratings agency recently reaffirmed its stable rating for Swedish lenders, thus indicating its view that the country’s economy will remain healthy, while the banking sector itself already exhibits strong credit quality. According to Moody’s Vice President and Senior Credit Officer Louise Lundberg, the agency expects Sveriges Riksbank, Sweden’s central bank, to begin raising interest rates from their current negative levels in mid-2018. And although high house prices and household-debt levels pose potential risks, “We do not expect them to crystallize during the outlook period,” Lundberg added. As such, the creditworthiness of banks remains buoyant, while loan losses to the oil and shipping sectors are slated to steadily decline. Moreover, Moody’s sees “banks’ lending criteria combined with households’ strong monthly surpluses and payment culture” as being particular supporters of their credit quality. And in addition to having sufficient capital buffers in place, the banking sector should also have enough capacity to accommodate additional capital if needed.
According to the National Bank of Poland, the net profit of the country’s banking sector fell during the first nine months of the year, by 7.1 percent on an annual basis to PLN 10.55 billion ($2.94 billion). The silver lining, however, is that reports have also emerged that the sector’s third-quarter profits rose by a whopping 24.9 percent to PLN 3.84 billion from the same period last year; and in September net profits totalled PLN 1.2 billion. This suggests that prospects for the Polish banking sector have improved as the year has progressed.
Russia continues to make significant progress with regards to its clean-up of the country’s banking sector. Led by highly respected chairwoman Elvira Nabiullina, the central bank is forcing struggling lenders to follow international standards as stipulated by the Basel Accords on global banking; otherwise the banks will most likely be forced into bankruptcy. And the numbers are there for all to see—Global Bank Directory, a database of banking groups, has recorded that since 2012, the number of active banks has fallen to around 550 from 937. The total value of assets of those banks currently being mandated to reorganise, moreover, is at a staggering $140 billion, equivalent to 12 percent of the total assets held by banks in the country. According to Alexander Isakov, an economist with VTB Capital, “Banking in Russia is becoming very capital intensive, but it’s also becoming more modern.”
Estonian banking has also enjoyed a positive year so far. The Baltic country’s lenders managed to post a net profit of €84 million euros, which is 3 percent higher than the same quarter of 2016, and is equivalent to 1.4 percent of total assets on an annualised basis. The growth in housing loans has accelerated, as it had also done in the second quarter, with September notching up a 6.5-percent increase in the overall portfolio from the same month of the previous year to €6.9 billion. Growth in average wages is helping to boost loan demand, according to the central bank, as is the overall level of confidence regarding Estonia’s future outlook, which is currently at its peak for recent years.
>>>WESTERN EUROPE AWARD WINNERS
BANKING CEO OF THE YEAR
Western Europe
Johan Thijs
KBC Group (Belgium)
**********
BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE
PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
Western Europe
Nationwide (UK)
**********
Best Investment Bank Of The Year France
BNP Paribas
Best Investment Bank Of The Year Israel
Goren Capital Group
Best Investment Bank Of The Year Norway
Pareto Securities
Best Investment Bank Of The Year Portugal
Banco Invest
Best Investment Bank Of The Year Switzerland
UBS
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Andorra
MoraBanc
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year France
BNP Paribas
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Germany
Deutsche Bank
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Iceland
Landsbankinn
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Luxembourg
BIL
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year The Netherlands
ABN AMRO
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Switzerland
UBS
Best Private Bank Of The Year Monaco
Compagnie Monégasque de Banque
Best Private Bank Of The Year The Netherlands
ABN AMRO MeesPierson
Best Private Bank Of The Year Portugal
Banco Finantia
Best Private Bank Of The Year Switzerland
UBS
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Belgium
KBC Group
Best Innovation In Retail Banking France
Crédit Mutuel
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Germany
Deutsche Kreditbank
Best Innovation In Retail Banking The Netherlands
ING
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Spain
Banco Santander
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Sweden
Handelsbanken
Best Innovation In Retail Banking UK
Nationwide
>>>EASTERN EUROPE AWARD WINNERS
BANKING CEO OF THE YEAR
Eastern Europe
Tomáš Spurný
Moneta Money Bank (Czech Republic)
**********
BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE
PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
Eastern Europe
LHV Pank (Estonia)
**********
Best Banking Group Estonia
LHV Group
Best Banking Group Kazakhstan
Halyk Group
Best Banking Group Russia
VTB Group
Best Investment Bank Of The Year Bulgaria
Karroll
Best Investment Bank Of The Year Poland
Bank Pekao
Best Investment Bank Of The Year Russia
VTB Capital
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Belarus
Belinvestbank
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Croatia
Privredna banka Zagreb
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Czech Republic
Moneta Money Bank
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Estonia
Coop Pank
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Kazakhstan
Tsesnabank
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Latvia
Citadele Banka
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Russia
Sberbank
Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Serbia
AIK Banka
Best Private Bank Of The Year Czech Republic
CSOB
Best Private Bank Of The Year Estonia
LHV Pank
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Belarus
Belarusbank
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Czech Republic
Komerční banka
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Estonia
LHV Pank
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Kosovo
Banka Ekonomike
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Romania
Banca Transilvania
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Russia
Sberbank
Best Innovation In Retail Banking Slovakia
Postova banka