By Elena Vardon

ING Groep expects revenue and profitability to rise this year and next as it bets on customer growth and increased income from fees to soften the pressure of falling interest rates.

"Supported by strong commercial momentum and disciplined cost management, we present a strong outlook for 2026 and have upgraded our outlook for 2027," Chief Executive Steven van Rijswijk said.

The Dutch bank on Thursday said it aims for around 24 billion euros ($28.69 billion) in revenue in 2026 and more than 25 billion euros in 2027, compared with the 23 billion euros it reported for 2025. It expects boosts from loan volume growth to support commercial net interest income--the difference between what banks earn on loans and pay out on deposits--alongside an increase in income from fees and commissions.

ING, like many of its European peers, is racing to offset squeezed margins as interest rates are cut by attracting new customers and cross-selling its products to boost volumes and its top line.

Operating expenses are forecast to tick up to between 12.6 billion and 12.8 billion euros this year, rising to around 13 billion euros next year, the bank added. It booked 12.58 billion euros in costs for 2025.

The group, which is switching its primary profitability metric to return on tangible equity to align with industry practice, guided for a return of more than 14% in 2026, rising to more than 15% the following year, up from 13.6% in 2025.

For the fourth quarter, ING posted a 22% rise in net profit to 1.41 billion euros. That beat a 1.34 billion-euro estimate taken from a company-compiled consensus, on better-than-expected revenue that was 7.2% higher at 5.80 billion euros and lighter costs.

ING declared a final dividend of 73.6 European cents, taking the full-year payout to 1.086 euros.

Shares in Amsterdam opened slightly higher before dipping into the red in morning trade as the market digested the targets, which analysts noted were likely already priced into consensus expectations.

Write to Elena Vardon at elena.vardon@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 29, 2026 06:46 ET (11:46 GMT)

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