Belfius posts record profit of 1.16 bn euros and proposes dividend of 454.6m
State-owned bank Belfius posted a net profit of 1.16 billion euros in 2025, a new record. The bank also announced that it will pay a dividend of 454.6 million. Of this, 250 million euros was already paid out last year as an interim dividend, although CEO Marc Raisière did not rule out a new interim dividend in September, “depending on the results in June”.
Last year, Belfius paid a total of 945 million euros to the federal treasury, of which 445 million euros was an ordinary dividend for the 2024 financial year, 250 million euros was an interim dividend and another 250 million euros was an exceptional dividend.
Now it seems to be a lot less, although a new interim dividend is not ruled out. Even a new exceptional dividend is possible, but this would require a restructuring of the capital. Reference was made on Friday to the government's decision to open up 20 per cent of Belfius' capital to a private party. “Every effort is made to do this before the end of the year,” said Olivier Onclin, who will succeed Raisière as CEO of the bank in April.
Onclin did not reveal on Friday how far those negotiations have progressed. “It is the shareholder who will decide,” said the future CEO, referring to the federal government.
2025 was a record year for Belfius in several areas. For the first time in its history, the total amount of savings and investments outstanding exceeded the 200 billion euro mark. That is almost double the amount since the bank was founded. Belfius also granted a record 15.9 billion euros in new long-term loans (+14 per cent).
In addition, insurance is becoming increasingly important for Belfius' results. In 2025, insurance activities generated a quarter of net profit, representing a record 289 million euros.
Overall, Belfius's income rose by 1.3 per cent to 4.29 billion euros last year, while costs remained virtually stable (+0.6 per cent) at 1.84 billion euros.
Illustration © PHOTO BELPRESS
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