Profitability is set to remain strong in 2026. Moderate loan growth, steady fee expansion and stable costs will support profits. But we are projecting an increase in provisions as default rates normalise, while economic and other risks remain high.

ABN AMRO’s announced acquisition of NIBC Bank carries low execution risk and is marginally supportive of the group’s strategic development and long-term credit profile.

EU banks trail US peers in profitability amid rising compliance costs. So policymakers are pushing to simplify regulation. This could bring positive outcomes but the potential for missteps should not be overlooked.

European banks have little choice but to accelerate investment to adapt to digital payments now that the European Central Bank (ECB) plans a pilot phase for the digital euro in 2027.

Scope Ratings has published the performance overview of notes issued by Marzio Finance, a EUR 10bn securitisation programme backed by ‘cessione del quinto’ and ‘delegazione di pagamento’ (CQS) loans originated by IBL Banca.

Germany’s largest banks are poised for robust operating performance in the quarters ahead, resilience which they will need to absorb the relatively high cost of risk amid lingering concerns about asset quality, says Scope Ratings.

Italian NPL collections in September nearly doubled compared with August (+95%). However, they remain significantly below the levels recorded in the same period last year, a trend that has persisted throughout the year.

Climate change can materially affect the creditworthiness of all issuer types and asset classes, so we have harmonised our general framework for capturing this risk, which can be applied to produce issuer-specific Key Climate Risk Indicators (KCRIs).

The uncertain political environment is likely to constrain market sentiment in Q4 2025, potentially dampening the earnings momentum French banks built in the first half, supported by strong revenues from retail banking, insurance and wealth management.

GlobalCapital’s call for nominations for its European Securitization Awards 2026 is now live.