European financial and energy markets are publishing their 2025 results summaries, dominated by record profits from Italian giants such as UniCredit, Eni, and Poste Italiane. Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment, these companies reported historic revenues, translating into significant bonuses for management. At the same time, the European Central Bank generated a loss, although it forecasts a return to profitability in the upcoming accounting cycle.

Historic Profits for UniCredit

The bank recorded record results, which translated into an increase in CEO Orcel's compensation to 16.4 million euros.

Stability of the Energy Sector

The Eni conglomerate generated nearly 5 billion euros in net profit despite declines in oil prices.

Losses in Central Banking

The ECB closed the year with a loss of 1.25 billion euros but plans a quick return to profitability in 2026.

Global Growth of Insurers

Axa and Allianz report significant revenue increases, driven by life and property insurance segments.

The end of February 2026 brought a series of financial results publications from the largest European entities, with a particular focus on the Italian market. Bank UniCredit, after achieving historically high results, decided to significantly increase bonuses for its management team. The compensation for CEO Andrea Orcel rose to 16.4 million euros, attracting significant public interest. Concurrently, the Italian energy giant Eni reported an adjusted net profit of 4.98 billion euros, demonstrating resilience against global commodity price fluctuations. The company plans further extraction expansion while increasing the share of renewable energy sources in its investment portfolio. The Italian banking sector underwent deep restructuring after the 2011 eurozone debt crisis, which enabled the building of its current capital resilience and profitability. Poste Italiane also presented excellent results, achieving the highest revenues and profits in its history. CEO Matteo Del Fante emphasized the strategic importance of the financial sector and parcel delivery in building the company's value. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank (ECB) recorded a loss of 1.25 billion euros in 2025, a direct effect of costly bond purchase programs conducted in previous years. Nevertheless, the institution led by Christine Lagarde predicts a return to positive results as early as 2026. It is worth noting that Lagarde's own compensation increased to 492 thousand euros annually. „2025 è stato un anno di trasformazione senza precedenti e di disciplina finanziaria record, che ci ha permesso di premiare i nostri azionisti.” (2025 was a year of unprecedented transformation and record financial discipline, which allowed us to reward our shareholders.) — Andrea Orcel Positive trends are not limited to Italy. The French group Axa closed the year with a profit of 8.4 billion euros, representing growth of over 24% year-on-year. The Swiss economy is also developing according to forecasts, showing stability in the last quarter of the year. Against this backdrop, Italian industrial statistics stand out, which after a period of stagnation recorded a slight turnover increase of 0.6%. Experts indicate that 2025 was a time of accumulating benefits from high interest rates for the banking sector, but the upcoming year 2026 may force companies to change strategy in the face of expected interest rate cuts by central banks.

Mentioned People

  • Andrea Orcel — CEO of UniCredit, who received record compensation for the bank's results in 2025.
  • Christine Lagarde — President of the European Central Bank, managing the institution during a period of operational losses.
  • Claudio Descalzi — CEO of Eni, responsible for the extraction strategy and energy transformation of the giant.
  • Matteo Del Fante — Head of Poste Italiane, who led the company to historically high financial results.
  • Andrea Lovaglio — CEO of the bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena.