EU bank assets rise 5.18 percent to €34.99 trillion
EU-headquartered banks' total assets rose 5.18 percent year on year to €34.99 trillion in June 2026, European Central Bank (ECB) data show. The aggregate non-performing loans ratio increased by 0.03 percentage points to 1.99 percent.
Larger balance sheets, higher arrears
Total assets of EU-headquartered credit institutions increased from €33.27 trillion in June 2025 to €34.99 trillion in June 2026.
Over the same period, the aggregate non-performing loans ratio rose by 0.03 percentage points to 1.99 percent.
This ratio measures non-performing loans against total loans, including central bank cash balances and other demand deposits.
Aggregate return on equity was 5.31 percent for the first six months of 2026, calculated as total profit or loss divided by total equity and not annualised.
The Common Equity Tier 1 ratio stood at 16.43 percent in June 2026, measuring that capital against the total risk exposure amount.
The release also revises some earlier data.
Nearly the entire banking system
The group-consolidated dataset covers 336 banking groups and 2,283 stand-alone credit institutions and non-EU-controlled subsidiaries and branches operating in the EU.
Coverage approaches 100 percent of the sector's balance sheet.
Reporters generally use International Financial Reporting Standards and the European Banking Authority's supervisory reporting standards.
Some small and medium-sized reporters use national accounting standards, so aggregates can combine accounting bases where underlying items are available.
Read the measurement limits
The 5.31 percent return on equity covers only six months, not a full year.
The quarterly dataset also contains fewer indicators than the year-end dataset.
Accounting differences and revisions remain qualifications when comparing the published aggregates.