Deutsche Bank reported a net profit attributable to shareholders of 1.3 billion euros for the fourth quarter of 2025, surpassing the 1.12 billion euros consensus forecast by analysts. This result represents the bank’s highest quarterly profit since 2007 and marks a significant year-on-year increase from 950 million euros in Q4 2024. The performance was driven by robust fee income and trading gains in the investment bank segment, reinforcing management’s turnaround strategy under CEO Christian Sewing.

Group revenues for the three months ending December reached 7.73 billion euros, roughly in line with the 7.72 billion euros estimate from LSEG. Within that, the investment bank saw a 14% revenue increase compared with Q4 2024, supported by higher advisory fees and bond underwriting. Asset management revenues grew by 8%, benefiting from net inflows of 6 billion euros into DWS products. Offsetting these gains, the corporate bank recorded a 5% decline year-on-year as slower client activity weighed on lending volumes.

Deutsche Bank ended the quarter with a Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio of 14.2%, down slightly from 14.5% in Q3 but up from 13.8% in the same period a year earlier. The bank’s liquidity coverage ratio remained above 140%, reflecting ample high-quality liquid assets. Management highlighted that the capital buffer exceeds regulatory minimums by 350 basis points, providing flexibility for future dividend distributions or share buybacks once regulatory approvals are secured.

On January 28, German prosecutors and the Federal Criminal Police Office conducted searches at Deutsche Bank offices in Frankfurt and Berlin as part of an investigation into alleged money-laundering involving unnamed employees and foreign counterparties. The bank confirmed full cooperation but could not comment further. Shares declined by up to 3.6% following the news, underlining investor concern over potential fines or reputational damage. The inquiry comes less than a year after regulators ordered improvements to internal controls, highlighting ongoing governance challenges for the lender.