Midyear review: Savings banks in Hesse and Thuringia expect higher profits

Savings banks in Hesse and Thuringia expect a stronger annual result after a solid first half of 2026. Stefan G. Reuß, managing president of the Hesse-Thuringia Savings Banks and Giro Association, said earnings were developing more dynamically than initially expected.

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For the full year 2026, we expect earnings to develop somewhat more dynamically than originally anticipated.

The 46 savings banks in the two states are expected to generate operating profit of about 1.8 billion euros, more than 5% above the previous year. Net interest income, the institutions’ main source of revenue, is forecast to rise 8.2% to almost 3.2 billion euros.

The banks’ lending volume increased by nearly 1% in the first half, reaching more than 96.7 billion euros. Customer deposits edged down to 126.7 billion euros, which the association also linked to growing interest in securities. The banks recently began offering trading in exchange-traded funds through the S-Neo service in their app.

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Thanks to strong net interest income, operating profit will probably be above the previous year’s level for the year as a whole.

“From October, custody and trading of cryptocurrencies for self-directed customers will also be possible in the app,” Reuß said. Customers will then have access to Bitcoin and Ether through the Sparkassen app.

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From October, custody and trading of cryptocurrencies for self-directed customers will also be possible in the app.