-- Deutsche Bank (DBK.F) said Wednesday its robust first-quarter results provided the momentum required to achieve its full-year 2026 revenue target of 33 billion euros.
For the three months ended March 31, profit attributable to shareholders rose 8% year over year to 2.12 billion euros, with EPS increasing 7% to 1.06 euros. Before tax, profit climbed 7% to 3.04 billion euros, while post-tax profit hit an all-time quarterly high of 2.17 billion euros, up 8% on an annual basis.
Deutsche Bank's net revenue edged up to 8.67 billion euros from 8.52 billion euros a year ago on the back of strong performance across its strategic focus areas. The bank reported a 146 billion-euro year-on-year increase in assets under management to 1.8 trillion euros, aided by 22 billion euros in quarterly net inflows within its private bank and asset management businesses.
The private bank and asset management segments also recorded net revenue growth of 5% and 10%, respectively, to 2.57 billion euros and 802 million euros. Meanwhile, the corporate bank unit saw a 7 billion-euro annual increase in loans, notably within trade finance, and the investment bank division achieved a 7% rise in fixed income and currencies financing revenues to 967 million euros, near the record prior year quarter.
"We delivered strong performance in the quarter, with [return on tangible equity] of 12.7% and cost/income ratio below 59%, through a high-quality earnings mix and durable growth... Our Investment Bank served as a valued advisor to clients in a challenging [macroeconomic] environment and our Corporate Bank's lending activity accelerated. This gives us a firm step-off point towards our financial targets and strategic objectives. We're building growth momentum in [high-value] businesses through targeted investments and deliberate capital allocation, and further cost flexibility through [artificial intelligence] and process reengineering across the bank," Deutsche Bank Chief Financial Officer Raja Akram said.
The German bank added that it remains on track to "deliver strong operating performance" for the year, supported by sustained cost discipline and an expected year-on-year improvement in credit loss provisions amid a normalizing macroeconomic backdrop.