2024: Most profitable European banks

With the Significant Bank Database now covering the years from 2009–2024, we can take a closer look at the most profitable European banks in 2024. This is straightforward because the dataset includes a ready-made measure of profitability: return on assets (ROA). A...

Exploring the impact of interest rates on bank profitability

After a prolonged period of zero interest rates, interest rates finally came back to life, as illustrated in the accompanying figure by the sharp rise in rates starting in 2021. However, the downward trend in interest rates can be traced roughly back to the financial...