BNP Paribas Fortis profits fall for third year in a row

BNP Paribas Fortis, Belgium’s largest bank, reported lower profits for the third consecutive year in 2025. The bank posted a net profit of about €2.6 billion, a drop of roughly 12.5% compared with the previous year.

The fall was mainly caused by weaker results from its car-leasing subsidiary Arval and by the effects of hyperinflation in Turkey. Prices for second-hand cars, which had risen sharply after the Covid-19 pandemic, began returning to normal levels last year. This hit Arval’s earnings, as the company sells leased vehicles on the used-car market after contracts end.

The group’s activities in Belgium remained stable. Net profit from Belgian operations stayed close to €1.5 billion, and the bank issued 5% more loans during the year. However, deposits fell slightly by about 0.5%.

BNP Paribas’s Belgian subsidiary also operates in Luxembourg and Turkey, where its unit TEB has been affected by the country’s high inflation. This led to higher provisions for risky loans.

Overall costs at the group rose faster than income in 2025, partly due to these pressures. The bank is now reviewing its Belgian operations as part of a wider transformation plan and is preparing a new multi-year strategy expected to be announced early next year.

Across the sector, Belgium’s four major banks (BNP Paribas Fortis, KBC Group, Belfius and ING Belgium) recorded a combined net profit of €7.9 billion in 2025, about 5% less than in 2024.

^{© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}