European banks will reveal a boost to profits from higher interest rates when they report results this week, but face pressure to find new engines of growth as central banks’ efforts to tighten monetary policy near an end.
The continent’s biggest lenders kick off third-quarter earnings with most expected to show a further increase in net interest income, the difference between what banks pay on deposits and what they earn from loans.
Net interest income has been the key driver of profits for banks on both sides of the Atlantic for at least a year, cushioning the blow for some lenders from the still weak volume of mergers and acquisitions.