Handelsbanken reported second-quarter 2026 operating profit of SEK 6,678 million on Wednesday, with return on equity of 12.8% and a cost/income ratio of 44%. Operating profit fell 19% from SEK 8,195m in the first quarter, which included a SEK 1,127m VAT reversal; adjusted for items affecting comparability, it fell 6%.
Credit losses were essentially zero for the period, the bank said in its interim report, while net fee and commission income rose 9% year on year to SEK 3,135m.
FEE INCOME UP 9%
Net fee and commission income of SEK 3,135m was up from SEK 2,873m a year earlier and 2% higher than in the first quarter, while net interest income was largely unchanged quarter on quarter at SEK 10,008m. Year on year, mutual fund commissions rose 12%, custody and other asset management fees 24% and payment commissions 20%, while other commission income fell 75%.
Return on equity was 12.8% for the quarter, down from 13.6% in the first quarter and below the 15.7% reported by SEB the same day.
Net credit losses were SEK -30m in the quarter, compared with SEK -35m in the first quarter, and the bank said asset quality remained favourable.
VOLUMES AND COSTS
The interim report pointed to volume growth, with lending increasing primarily in the UK and the Netherlands as well as in household lending in Sweden, and deposits rising among both household and corporate customers.
Expenses rose 2% from the first quarter to SEK -5,963m, and the C/I ratio was 44.3%, against 39.5% in the first quarter. The bank said expenses decreased compared with the preceding year while investments in IT development increased.
The interim report was published at 07:00 CET on 15 July, with a press conference held later that morning.
The print sits within a busy week for Nordic bank reporting, following DNB's results earlier in the week and alongside SEB's report the same morning, with Nordea and Swedbank due to publish second-quarter figures on 16 and 17 July.