After Banco Santander e Unicredit, the bank quarterly report season European continues with the French giant BNP Paribas and the script is always the same: like the other two colleagues who have lifted the veil on the accounts, Bnp also records a rain of profits and results above expectationsIn Paris (-1,1%) the title however marks a drop of 1,7%, weighed down by the sell-offs that are hitting the credit sector across Europe, including Italy. At midday, the Euro Stoxx Banks index was down 1,74%.
BNP Paribas: Profits Over $4 Billion in Second Quarter
For Bnp Paribas the second quarter of 2026 closed with a net profit of 4,3 billion of euros, in growth of 33,4% compared to the same period a year ago. The result was also contributed by the sale of its stake in a Belgian insurance company and the integration of the asset management business acquired last year from the insurance company AXA.
In the three months from April to June, revenues increased by 12% at 14,091 billion, with operating profit reached 5,057 billion (+15,9%). As of June 30, 2026, Cet1 stood at 13%, up 20 basis points from March 31.
"The Group has achieved excellent results, driven by the dynamism of its business lines, the strength of its diversified model, the acceleration of its transformation – particularly in artificial intelligence – and the dedication of our teams. In an environment that requires discipline and agility, we continue to support our customers while advancing our strategic priorities. Strengthened by the initiatives undertaken in recent years and solid fundamentals, the Group is well on its way to defining its 2030 plan, which will be presented in February 2027. I would like to thank our teams for their continued commitment to serving our customers," he commented. CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafé.
BNL: pre-tax profit of €175 million in the second quarter
In Italy, the subsidiary Bnl will present the new strategic plan next November 18th. In the meantime, the second quarter has been closed with an intermediation margin of 679 million (-1,6%), but substantially stable (-0,6%) net of the base effect on specialized financing: the interest margin fell due to the compression of margins on loans, which neutralized the favorable margins on deposits, while financial and banking commissions grew thanks to Private Banking and the corporate segment, benefiting from cross-selling with corporate and investment banking.
Operating costs rose to 437 million (+2,6%)) for the adjustments to the national collective agreement and new technological investments, bringing the gross operating result to 242 million (-8,4%).
On the commercial front jobs increased by 1,8% which becomes +2,2% net of impaired loans. Results driven by the significant growth of credit to businesses (+5,7%), partly offset by the decline in residential credit in a context of selective lending. indirect collections rose by 10,6%, supported by private banking and individual customers, with private banking assets under management at 51 billion euros (+9,5%) and net collection of 200 million in the quarter.
Turning to credit quality, the cost of risk decreased by 18,4% to 56 million of euros, reaching just 31 basis points on loans, one of the lowest levels in recent years thanks to the reduction in provisions for non-performing loans.
Finally, pre-tax profit stood at 175 million, down 5,7% compared to the same period in 2025.
