The net profit of ING, the biggest Dutch financial group, rose almost 27 % in the second quarter thanks to the strong growth in lending, surpassing analysts' expectations.
ING said its core net profit amounted to 1.4 billion euro ($ 1.57 billion), while the banking operations noted improvements in the financial services market.
Analysts polled by Reuters on average had forecast a core net profit of 1.06 billion euro, which corresponds to a drop index by about 5 % in annual terms.
ING did not give any forecasts, but chief executive Ralph Hamers said "the activity conditions remain challenging given the economic shock after the Brexit vote and low interest rates."
The UK HSBC said on Wednesday that its operating profit in the first half of the year fell 29 %, slightly short of forecasts. It is because the Europe’s largest bank was pressed by the economic slowdown in key markets - the UK and Hong Kong.
The lender announced a plan to buy back shares worth up to $ 2.5 billion in the second half of the year, reporting a pre-tax profit fall for the half year that ended in June, to $ 9.7 billion from $ 13.6 billion a year earlier. Analysts polled by Reuters on average expected the figure at $ 10 billion.
For HSBC, based in London and Hong Kong, the threat comes from the potential impact of the UK decision to leave the European Union, as well as the implications of slowing growth in China. In these two markets in 2015 the bank accounted for half of the revenues.
HSBC said that the core capital adequacy ratio rose to 12.1 % from 11.9 % as of the end of December.
The revenue from the sale of share in the operator of the payment system – VISA Europe helped Societe Generale (PA: SOGN) to record a sharp increase in quarterly net income and offset the pressure from low interest rates and weak profits from trade.
The second largest French bank reported a net profit of 1.46 billion euro in the quarter, which is 8.1 % higher compared to the same period last year. Revenues totaled 6.98 billion, up 1.7 %.
SocGen said that the revenue with the exception of income from the sale of share in VISA Europe stabilized in the second quarter, as the strong performance of the international division of the retail banking and financial services have helped outweigh weaker results in France.