The largest financial institutions in Europe and Asia have published their 2025 reports, presenting ambitious growth plans. Spanish Santander has set a target of generating over €20 billion in profit by 2028, while also planning a significant increase in dividends. British conglomerates HSBC and Standard Chartered, despite cost pressures and write-downs, have announced multi-billion-dollar share buyback programs, signaling a return to aggressive shareholder reward policies.

Banco Santander's Ambitious Target

The Spanish bank plans to exceed €20 billion in profit by 2028 and significantly increase payouts to shareholders.

HSBC Restructuring

The bank announced the end of a major structural change process, despite a one-time profit drop of £1.8 billion.

Standard Chartered Share Buyback

The institution is launching a $1.5 billion buyback program after an 18 percent increase in annual profit.

Success of Asian Wealth Management

Banks OCBC and UOB are recording record fee income from wealthy clients, stabilizing their financial results.

The banking sector is undergoing a period of dynamic strategic redefinition, as confirmed by the latest financial reports from global players. Spanish giant Banco Santander announced an ambitious strategic plan that aims to reach the threshold of €20 billion in net profit by 2028. The institution led by Ana Botín intends to achieve this goal through further operational integration and structural optimization following the acquisition of Webster. Simultaneously, the bank announced a modification of its dividend policy, targeting payouts significantly exceeding previous standards, which is meant to attract long-term investors. In parallel, British banks with a global reach, HSBC and Standard Chartered, presented results that, despite certain burdens, were received optimistically by the markets. HSBC, under the leadership of its new chairman, signals the end of a multi-year process of deep restructuring. Although pre-tax profit fell by $2.4 billion (approx. £1.9 billion) due to impairment charges as well as restructuring and asset disposal costs, the bank raised key profitability targets. Meanwhile, Standard Chartered announced a share buyback program worth $1.5 billion, which directly translated into investor optimism, even though the quarterly net profit turned out to be slightly lower than the most optimistic analyst forecasts. After the 2008 financial crisis, European banks struggled for over a decade with the erosion of net interest margins. The current record results are the effect of higher interest rates and a successful digital transformation, which has permanently lowered customer service costs. In Southeast Asia, banks OCBC and UOB also reported solid results, driven mainly by the wealth management sector. Growth in fees from investment advisory services and portfolio management for wealthy clients compensated for lower demand for corporate loans. Outside the financial sector, attention was drawn to the Italian group Ferretti, which produces luxury yachts and recorded a nearly 7 percent increase in operating profit. This indicates the undiminished purchasing power in the luxury goods segment, which appears resilient to turmoil in the real economy. „Santander's Botin total compensation rises 34.6% in 2025 to 18.54 mln euros.” — Ana Botín

Mentioned People

  • Ana Botín — CEO of Banco Santander, whose compensation increased by over 34%.
  • Bill Winters — CEO of Standard Chartered, whose salary remained unchanged despite an increase in the bonus pool.